


Heartbeats

by torikasa



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 17:44:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5257763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torikasa/pseuds/torikasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You know, they say that lovers share heartbeats.”</p>
<p>Marinette quirks an eyebrow at him. “How does that even work?”</p>
<p>“I’m not really sure, but somehow, it just seems to happen when two people are in love."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heartbeats

When she is born, her heart doesn’t beat in perfect succession. Instead, it is a loop of an arrhythmic melody—a gentle pattern of short beats, long beats, and, most frighteningly, pauses.

Her parents are sobbing beside their newborn child, begging the doctors to save her; but the doctors are flabbergasted themselves, pondering aloud the possible implications of the baby’s irregular heartbeat. Ultimately, they mention that she is a healthy baby otherwise and shouldn’t have much problem living a normal life.

The doctors’ words calm down the Dupain-Cheng couple. They stare at their baby girl and are awestruck by her beautiful pale skin and gift of a smile. But what strikes them the most are her eyes; so they decide to name her after those crystal clear oceanic blues: Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

 

* * *

 

Marinette constantly rests her hand on her chest. It gives her reassurance that she is alive and well despite its odd rhythm. She subconsciously hums it, a lullaby that keeps her at peace yet somehow empty, and oftentimes finds herself making up lyrics that go along with its beat.

Mes petits papillons, bleus et verts

Tourbillonnent et s’envolent dans le ciel clair

When she is five, she asks her mother about her condition. Arrhythmia, she would answer, too big a word for the young girl to recreate with her own mouth; but the way her mother purses her lips makes Marinette wonder. There is something more that her mother isn’t saying, but she does not pursue these thoughts. She is at peace with her unique heart and finds enjoyment in its magical melody. She need not question it.

 

* * *

 

At six years old, Marinette is late to her first day of elementary school. With a buttered croissant hanging loosely in her mouth, she trips into the classroom and, with crumbs littered across her flushed cheeks, smiles sheepishly as all attention turns towards her.

The teacher is disappointed in her but tells her to sit down anyway, next to a blonde with baby blue eyes. She sits down next to her, noticing the way the other girl’s slightly sun-kissed hands are glowing under the faint lights.

Said girl pokes her elbow, sending shivers down Marinette’s spine. “I’m Chloé,” the girl whispers, her voice a soothing caramel. “What’s your name?”

“Marinette,” she answers proudly, and suddenly they are giggling at each other and poking each other’s shoulders playfully.

After school, Chloé comes up to Marinette and announces that she is her new best friend. Marinette blushes, excitement thumping against her chest, as the blonde girl grabs her hand. The two girls sneak away from the school and start walking together, talking about anything and everything that concerns an elementary schoolgirl. Marinette learns that the blonde’s father is an influential political figure and is planning to run for mayor. She also learns many things about the blonde herself, from her favorite color (yellow) to her favorite animal (bumblebee—does that count as an animal?).

Marinette is ecstatic to have made a new friend, especially someone as interesting as Chloé, but the more they talk, the more Marinette starts to feel a bit empty, for the conversation is all too one-sided and Marinette’s words are ignored. She wants to tell her, oh so badly, about her own interests, too; and most of all, she wants to tell her about her odd beating heart, because she has never had the chance to talk to anyone about it before. She just yearns for someone else to know, to talk to her about it, to reassure her that she really is alive despite it. Yet, Chloé only continues to talk about herself.

But it’s okay, because they’re best friends. That’s all that matters.

Unfortunately, not all good things last. In a matter of months, Marinette can feel her connection with Chloé fading away into nothing, as if they didn’t know each other at all. For the most part, she thinks Chloé doesn’t actually know her anyway, but Marinette has grown attached to the pretty blonde girl.

She decides to confront the other girl one day, and simply put, Chloé has found a new best friend. “He doesn’t go here,” she says plainly, each word like a silver cuspidate stabbing her back. “We met through our dads. He’s nice and I like him a lot better. Sorry. It’s nothing personal, Marinette.” She continues, as if to make her feel better but only proves to make Marinette feel inadequate—makes her feel like she’s only second place: “We can still just be friends. I just can’t hang out that often anymore.”

It pains her. It makes her heart swell in melancholy. And she irrevocably starts to hate whoever this new best friend is for stealing Chloé away from her, vowing that she will never like him and never will.

At six and a half years old, Marinette cries herself to sleep for the very first time.

 

* * *

 

All alone during recess, Marinette sits on the swings and gently rocks herself back and forth, back and forth. She stares out at the other children who are enjoying themselves, playing with their friends. She notices Chloé laughing wholeheartedly as she talks to what she assumes is the blonde’s new best friend over the phone.

Frustrated, she kicks her feet. The swing creaks as it starts to rock more and more from the force of her legs, until she finds herself parallel to the ground. She lets out a squeak, her stomach lurching, but otherwise she is smiling for the first time in a long time. The gentle zephyr against her face is welcoming, washing away all the negative emotions looming around in her mind.

“Having fun?”

She extends her feet and promptly stops swinging, her head turning to the sound of the voice. A short girl with ombre hair is smiling at her, taking a seat in the swing next to hers.

“Hi,” the girl says, grinning. “I’m Alya.”

“Marinette,” she says quietly.

“Why are you playing by yourself?”

“Because…” Marinette looks down at her hands. “Because Chloé dumped me for some _guy_.”

“She does that to everyone. She goes through best friends left and right. It’s annoying.”

Marinette lets out an _oh_. Disappointed and quiet. Alya pats her shoulder as if to comfort her. “Don’t worry,” she says. “I’ll make sure you’re never alone like this again. Wanna be friends?”

Normally Marinette wouldn’t hesitate being friends, but being backstabbed by Chloé makes her weary. But as she watches Alya smile, she thinks it looks like genuine sunshine, and so she nods in agreement, and together they swing for the rest of recess, laughing and talking.

Their talks are different from her talks with Chloé. The spotlight is on both of them, and they end up learning so much about each other, it seems as if their friendship had flourished through a lifetime’s worth. Marinette decides that Alya is someone you can trust without even having to think about it.

Still, she reminisces her times with Chloé and can’t help but wonder who exactly this mysterious new best friend is that has managed to capture the blonde’s undivided attention. He must be a really special guy, she muses to herself, then later pushes the thought in the recesses of her mind as they hear the bell signaling the end of recess.

 

* * *

 

On the news, there is constant talk about a “superhero” amongst Paris. Curious, Marinette tunes in on the television and watches a video clip of a black-clad boy jumping across rooftops. Her heart beats loud against her chest, a sparkle in her eyes. _He’s so young_ , she thinks, probably aloud.

Then, clips of him saving kittens from trees and putting recyclables in the correct receptacle are shown. His entire demeanor, from the way he walks to the way he grins, drips of hubris.

She blinks then laughs. This is no _superhero_. This is just being a decent human being. The only difference between normal people and this so-called “hero” is the fact that he is clad in a weird outfit.

A short interview starts playing. She is still glued to the screen out of morbid curiosity.

“Well, I’m just a new superhero trying to find my way. I’m here to write justice in the skies, and save people from impending doom! I’m Chat Noir, by the way.” His voice is snide and smug. It makes Marinette want to vomit.

Just as Chat Noir is looking at the camera, giving off a peace sign and a sly smirk, she turns the television off and goes about the rest of her day, nonchalant. Once did she think about this “Chat Noir” person, and that was only to mock him for his silly arrogance.

 

* * *

 

“That’s so cool!” Alya is all starry-eyed now, flapping her arms around like she is crazed and high on excitement. “So your heart really beats in a weird rhythm?”

“Yep.” This is the first time she has ever told anyone outside of her family and the hospital staff about her condition. She isn’t uncomfortable talking about it, but she sometimes overlooks it, because she has become so accustomed to it over the years.

She wants to tell Alya absolutely everything so there are no secrets between them. Alya has told her everything about herself already so it only seems fair to tell the ombre-haired girl everything about herself too.

She hums the rhythm aloud, then starts to sing her lyrics. Alya is giving a standing ovation after the performance. Marinette flushes.

“That was so amazing, Marinette! You know what I think?”

“What?”

Alya grins from ear to ear. “I think it’s a secret code! It must mean something! The heavens have gifted you with something and you just need to decipher it!”

“N-no, don’t be silly, Alya. My mom says it’s just arrhythmia…”

“But think about it. Who else has an ongoing rhythm of a heartbeat like you do? Basically nobody else! Trust me on this, Marinette. It has to mean something.”

She taps her finger on her chin, pondering about the possibility. If it really does mean something, what could it possibly mean? She is no music genius and can’t tell if the beats have any sort of peculiar pattern that could be significant, though she is rather imaginative. Not exactly when it comes to puzzles or riddles, but she is observant enough to think of ways to work around most things.

Let’s see… Short, long, pause, long, short, short, pause, short, long, short, pause, short, short, pause, short, pause, long, short. The beats seem random enough, but she can’t help but feel there really is a deeper meaning behind the peculiar rhythm.

“Maybe,” Alya begins, pausing for dramatic effect. “Just maybe… It’s the name of your soulmate! Wouldn’t that be romantic?”

“How can beats translate to a name?” She is scoffing now, bemused. “That doesn’t make any sense, Alya.”

“Believe me, I’d like to know too, but when am I ever wrong?” Her lips upturn into a self-satisfied grin as she is looking straight into Marinette’s eyes. “Just think about it. It would be so romantic! And when you guys kiss, it’d be like magic and rainbows and everything! I’m writhing in jealousy here right now, you know.”

“We’re too young to be kissing, Alya! And… and! What if I don’t even _like_ him? What if he’s some… some smug jerk like… like…” _…that Chat Noir guy_ , she thinks to herself, feeling ready to barf. “Like, have you heard of that Chat Noir guy? He must be the absolute _worst_. I would die if it was him.”

“Oh, that new superhero running about?” She starts laughing. “He’s hilarious. I think most people don’t take him seriously, though. He’s too young to be a superhero. Besides, there’s nothing going on here that needs superheroes. The police can take care of everything, no?”

“Right!” Marinette squeezes her best friend’s hands in hers. “I’m so glad you understand me, Alya!”

The ombre-haired girl just smiles. “Of course. That’s what best friends are for.”

 

* * *

 

On her thirteenth birthday, two things—simultaneously—happen, all at once, as if fate has decided to toy with her.

First, she is now the protector of Paris. It happens too suddenly, like a short gust of wind slapping her cheek with cold comfort. She is just lying in bed, minding her own business, when a small, red creature lands atop her stomach. The creature has black spots, and Marinette muses that it looks very much like a ladybug.

Before Marinette can react, the creature—known as a _kwami_ —introduces herself and says that her name is Tikki. She makes a whole spiel about Marinette being chosen to bear the burden of becoming the superhero Paris needs, rambling on and on about responsibilities and such.

But all Marinette focuses on are the pair of red earrings now in the palm of her hands, glowing with so much energy that she can feel the power against her skin. Just like Tikki, they resemble a ladybug—a small and dainty one, shiny and untouched. She puts them on when Tikki is done talking and feels the power surge throughout the entirety of her body. Tikki tells her to say the magic words, and not even hesitating, Marinette yells out “ _Spots on!_ ” and all of a sudden her entire body is emitting light. A red suit slowly morphs around her body, hugging each and every curve comfortably, a mask covering most of her face. Adrenaline is pumping through her, her heart beat, still in its endless loop, beating faster in a hurried crescendo.

She finds herself jumping across rooftops now in clumsy haste, tripping many times but finding pleasure in her newfound versatility and athleticism. From building to building, under the starless sky, she continues to swing around with her yo-yo.

Approaching midnight, the second event happens: she bumps into someone—the last person she would ever want to bump into.

She falls backwards and looks up, peering into shadows and luminescent green eyes. He offers her a hand, but politely she refuses, standing on her own. Her mind is telling her to get out of there, a feeling of danger in the pit of her stomach, and her heart is even beating quickly in what seems to be a sort of danger sense. Regardless, she decides not to listen to neither her gut nor her heart (the figure didn’t look menacing enough to warrant an escape) and offers the masked figure a friendly gesture: a simple hand wave.

The figure waves back, a bemused smirk gracing his face. “Now, now, what do we have here? Another superhero? Or possibly… a new villain, mayhaps?”

“And how do I know you’re not a villain yourself?” she shoots back, her arms crossed across her chest. She can feel her heart beating faster now, a sudden allegro.

He raises an eyebrow. “Because I’m none other than Chat Noir. Heard of me?”

She blanches. How could she not recognize the all too-familiar and infamous black-clad cat boy? He is all over the news and everyone constantly talks about him. She must be delirious, she thinks.

“Yes, actually, but I think your antics are silly. You’ve only proved to be capable of trivial little saves that somehow make it on the news just because you’re wearing _spandex_.” Wow, she has never said her mind before like this. It feels invigorating, she thinks. She pauses shortly before pointedly adding, “Oh, and you’re way too cocky.”

He gasps aloud. “I take much offense to that, _lady_ ,” he sneers, sarcasm dripping in his words. He looks her over, his eyes quickly darting over her figure, and gives her an unimpressed look. “Who exactly are you anyway?”

She hesitates, looking around as if the answer is somewhere in the empty night sky. But then the realization hits her, and she laughs, saying, “I’m Ladybug.”

 

* * *

 

Marinette isn’t actually sure what to do with her superhero powers. They’re neat and all, and they offer her some newfound agility that lets her run anywhere and feel alive as an escape when she’s feeling down, but there isn’t anything in Paris that particularly needs saving from.

Her thoughts shift to Chat Noir. All he has been doing is little pedestrian things—things the average, decent person should be doing. She had considered helping him in his endeavors, but she feels silly wearing something so eccentric just to get attention for trivial things like “saving” the environment or “saving” kittens from trees. No one likes to show off more than Chat Noir, she thinks. Claiming to be a _super_ hero for no real reason is simply outrageous. The title of superhero belongs in the hands of the police and firemen, who risk their lives every single day to help others who are truly in danger.

She looks over at the sleeping kwami and starts petting her. The gentle touch somehow manages to wake up the creature, who sleepily looks up at Marinette with her big, innocent eyes. “Good morning, Marinette,” she says, still half-asleep.

“Had a good sleep, Tikki?” After seeing the kwami nod, Marinette then asks, “What exactly am I supposed to use my powers for?”

“To save Paris, of course,” Tikki says as if the answer was obvious. “There hasn’t been much activity lately, but I’ve been sensing some strong evil force around here lately. Be prepared for anything.”

Marinette cocks her head to the side. “Why did you pick me for the job, exactly? Wouldn’t someone older and with more experience be a better candidate to save Paris?”

“Oh, Marinette,” Tikki says, smiling. She buries herself into the palm of her new owner’s hands, cuddling into her thumbs. “I can sense a lot of heart and spirit in you. You’re the best candidate in all of Paris, as a matter of fact. I wouldn’t be able to imagine picking anyone else but you.”

Marinette blushes at that. She picks up Tikki and starts rubbing her cheeks against the kwami’s big head, giggling. “Oh, Tikki. You’re the best birthday gift a girl could ever want.”

 

* * *

 

Something strange happens today.

Marinette is just jogging, minding her own business, when all of a sudden she hears cries of terror from behind her. Immediately, she turns around and sees people running away from something. A normal person would start running along with the group, but Marinette finds her legs forcing her to run against the crowd. As she is running, the sky is getting darker, getting more humid. The air is heavy around her, and it starts getting harder and harder to breathe. Her heartbeat quickens.

A shadowy figure is floating in front of her now. Marinette can’t exactly make out the face, but from the silhouette she can tell it’s at least a person: tall and rotund with ruddy skin.

As the figure creeps close, Tikki starts tugging at her sleeve. “Marinette,” the little kwami says in worry. “Let’s hurry and transform! This looks like a serious crime this time!”

“But… but I don’t know anything about fighting!” Panic is evident in her wavering voice.

Tikki only continues to tug. “It doesn’t matter, Marinette. The transformation gives you superhuman abilities, remember?”

Hesitantly, the dark-haired girl runs into a dark alley and yells out her catchphrase to prompt the transformation sequence. After transforming, she runs back out, finding the figure closer than ever, so much so that she can see their features now. She can tell it is a woman with long blonde hair that touches the floor, her hands clutching a giant sewing needle. An equally large piece of thread is tied to the end, its movements looking similar to that of a snake.

“Don’t _thread_ on me, little girl,” she cackles loudly. Ladybug would groan if the thread didn’t start crawling towards her, threatening to attack her. Even the ends of the threads look like snakes, their mouths wide open and their fangs bared.

With a squeak, she dodges the thread snakes’ attacks almost as if she has had years of fighting experience. Surprised at her own agility, Ladybug decides to take it one step further by expertly attacking back with her yo-yo, knocking back each and every thread snake back to its owner.

She can hear Tikki in her thoughts: _there must be an evil force somewhere. You have to break the item in order to release the evil and purify it with your weapon._

Using her deductive skills, Ladybug looks all over at the now-angry figure and locks eyes with the giant sewing needle. That must be where the evil force is.

Reeling her yo-yo back in, she releases it once again and aims it at the giant needle, but the thread snakes block the attack. The evil woman is cackling louder, more vigorously, as she starts attacking Ladybug with the sewing needle itself. She dodges each and every stab, albeit some of the stabs were very close calls, making her sweat nervously.

_This superhero business is a lot harder than I thought_.

Ladybug backflips backwards and releases her yo-yo again, trying to tie it around the sewing needle; but like last time, the thread snakes come back alive and deflect her attack. A snake she hasn’t accounted for is now slithering too quickly for her to register, and suddenly she finds her legs all tied up. She lands on the ground, the woman floating above her with needle in hand. The villain points the needle towards her, ready to attack and pierce it through her rapidly beating heart. She shuts her eyes in fear, waiting for her impending doom, and—

Suddenly, she’s in the air, her legs miraculously unrestrained. Slowly, she opens up her eyes and finds herself staring at a pair of green ones. They’re filled with worry. Her heart starts beating even quicker—quicker than when she was about to get stabbed.

“Are you okay?” His voice is surprisingly soft. “Ladybug, was it?”

“Y-yeah…” She feels embarrassed now. It’s Chat Noir. The cocky, silly, spandex-wearing Chat Noir just saved her life.

She will never live this down.

The blond sets her down and starts focusing his attention on the woman, expertly attacking her with a silver baton. His dodges are precise, and he does all this with a smile on his face. Still cocky, even on the battlefield.

“I am _sew_ done with all this thread business,” he yells out. Ladybug groans in response.

She watches as Chat Noir steals the sewing needle, breaking it apart with his knee. A dark butterfly comes out of it, fluttering away.

_Marinette, that’s the evil force. An akuma. Purify it with your yo-yo!_

Without really understanding much, she touches her yo-yo and finds it opening up, emitting a white light. She then releases it and aims it at the butterfly, capturing it with ease. After a while, the same butterfly, now a pure white, comes out of the yo-yo and twirls away into the clearing sky.

Chat Noir comes back up to where she is, peering down at her in surprise. “What… did you just do, Ladybug?”

“I’m not exactly sure myself.” She stares at her yo-yo, curious what just happened herself. _You can purify the evil out of the possessed. It’s a special power unique to you, Marinette._

Just then, she sees the woman return back to her normal self. She looks like a frail, old woman, befuddled and cold. The sky clears above them, now filled with its regular pale blue.

“You must be able to heal the butterflies back to their original state.” Chat Noir smiles sheepishly. “All I’ve been doing all this time is releasing them back out. That must be why the evil keeps coming back so quickly.”

“Can you… explain what exactly is going on?”

Chat Noir sits down next to her, beginning a huge ramble on his experiences. Apparently, there have been patterns of people being turned evil by those butterflies and terrorizing Paris. They usually come out at night where most people don’t see them, and he says this is the first time he has ever seen one during the break of dawn.

Everything is confusing to her. It’s difficult to take everything in, but Ladybug thinks she understands, even if just a little bit.

“I guess you have the ability to purify the butterflies. That’s actually really helpful.” He pauses as if thinking, hard, then says, “Maybe we should start teaming up together. I know for a fact they’ll keep coming back. It would be much easier with the two of us working together.” He extends an arm. “So how about it, partner?”

She stares at the hand long and hard. Chat Noir and her teaming up together? Chat Noir… the arrogant fool she has constantly been seeing saving kitties from trees and recycling recyclables on television and being praised for it? Chat Noir who has actually been saving people, at night, where he and his real, serious saves are unseen and uncaught by the camera?

She looks up at the sky. The sun peeks above the horizon.

Then, she extends her own arm and shakes his hand. He smiles at her, giving her a small smirk. “Well, then, this seems like a wonderful start to a beautiful partnership, eh, my fair lady?”

“Sure, sure.” She can’t help but crack a smile, slightly amused.

She doesn’t notice her heart roaring.

 

* * *

 

When she meets up with Chat Noir again, it’s in front of a billboard. At night, the billboard is hard to decipher but upon closer inspection, she realizes it’s an advertisement for perfume with a blond boy looking up at the sky. He looks kind, gentle, with his subtle smile and his beautiful green eyes. If she believed in love at first sight, then this would be it—except she feels silly having a crush on a billboard model. Still, she can’t help but profusely blush.

“Why’s your face all red like a _ladybug_?” Chat Noir asks slyly, invading her personal bubble with his face.

She pushes him away, looking away to hide her red face. “Nothing, nothing. So why’d you call me up here anyway?” she asks, desperately trying to change the topic.

“Just thought we could patrol. Maybe even just talk.” He sits down next to her, barely an inch apart, and leans back into the billboard. “Usually the akumas strike at night, but lately they’ve been attacking during the morning or sometimes afternoon. I guess evil needs sleep too, huh?”

“That makes it inconvenient for us, assuming you go to school,” she says.

He looks at her, amused. “Actually, I’m homeschooled right now, but I should be getting into a school some time soon.”

“Homeschooled? Why am I not surprised, you troublemaker.” She feels him gently punch her arm in response, a grin on his face.

“Hey, maybe I’ll get into your school. Wouldn’t that be interesting? Just imagine: us talking _without_ our masks. What an experience!”

“I doubt you’ll even be able to recognize me without my mask,” she says in a matter-of-fact manner, playing with a lock of her hair. “And I highly doubt I’ll be able to recognize you without yours. But hey, if you happen to figure out who I am, I can’t really do anything about it.”

“I think I’d be able to pick you out from a crowd just like that,” he says, snapping his fingers alongside the word “that”.

“Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

Chat Noir just shrugs, looking up at the night sky. She blinks, thinking in this position he is oddly reminiscent of the blond model on the billboard; but then she snorts amusedly. _No way is he a model_ , she thinks before looking up at the sky too, noticing a star blinking a little too brightly up above them.

 

* * *

 

The next time an akuma-ridden victim terrorizes the streets, Marinette is more than ready to handle it.

In one swift motion, she transforms into Ladybug and is already facing the monster, readying her weapon. Chat Noir is on the scene in a flash, too, giving her a short nod when he sees her.

_Marinette, you have a special ability called “Lucky Charm”. It will help you in battles. Use it wisely, though, because after you use it, you only have a limited time left before your transformation wears off. Your Miraculous will start beeping to warn you._

She sees Chat Noir using what appears to be his own special ability called “Cataclysm,” which he uses on the pavement in order to trap the monster in a hole. Marinette uses her own special ability and catches a net fall from the sky. Confused at first, Ladybug looks around at her surroundings, pinpointing various objects in order to aid her, and springs into action to apprehend the monster and break the curse.

With her swift movements, the road to the purification process doesn’t take long; and as she says bye-bye to the little white butterfly, Chat Noir stalks up to her with a huge grin plastered on his face.

“We make a good team. That’s already our second monster down in three days.”

Ladybug hears a faint beeping, not realizing it was her earrings until she hears Chat Noir’s ring start beeping too. With a gasp, he bids farewell and is off onto the rooftops. Ladybug herself is running as fast as she can to hide somewhere before the transformation wears off.

_This will take some getting used to._

 

* * *

 

This is the first time she has ever kept a secret from Alya.

She feels dirty for it. She feels like she isn’t a good friend. She feels like she can’t even trust herself anymore. But out of necessity, she decides to keep her mouth shut. No one must know who the real Ladybug is, or she fears people will start treating her differently.

But most of all, she fears if people were to know about her identity, the villains will start targeting her loved ones. Mom, dad, Alya…

She has to keep them safe no matter what. She just _has_ to.

 

* * *

 

A new kid walks into the classroom one day in the middle of the semester. He is blond with side-swept bangs and a shy smile. They momentarily catch each other’s eyes. He responds with a bigger smile that reminds her of everything nice and sugary in her life. Her heart immediately starts to beat fast and furious, loud staccatos against her chest.

_Calm down, heart_ , she tells herself, placing her hand on her chest to ease its beating. But it only proves to make matters even worst, for her heart doesn’t stop and thumps, thumps, thumps more vigorously. She swears other people can hear it.

“This is Adrien Agreste. He will be attending this class as of today,” the teacher states. She motions for the boy to come to the front and introduce himself.

He shifts himself to the center of the room and opens his mouth, a soft and gentle voice coming out. “H-hi, I’m Adrien Agreste. My father is Gabriel Agreste, and—”

“Aren’t you a model?” someone blurts out all of a sudden.

He looks taken aback, but smiles back, nodding approvingly. “Yes, I’m on a few billboards and a couple magazines if anyone is curious…”

Marinette immediately recognizes him. _He’s the guy on the billboard I saw the other day_. To think someone like him would be in _her_ school, in _her_ class, breathing the same air as her. She revels at his presence, thinking that her crush can finally be justified now that she sees him in the flesh rather than just a billboard picture. _He looks even more handsome in person._

The whole class is now whispering to each other. Alya’s breath is against her ear. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“Dreamy,” Marinette answers back. Some foreign feeling makes her heart ache and her stomach feel like there’s a million butterflies trying to break free. She doesn’t recognize it, but the tell-tale signs from many romance movies and novels are too obvious to mistake.

Adrien takes a seat in front of her, which ultimately burdens her with the inability to properly pay attention during class. She studies every single minute movement of his, from the way he ruffles his hair every now and then to the manner in which his shoulders relax and tense for no particular reason at all. Marinette takes note of them all.

She sighs dreamily, doodling the boy’s name in her journal. _Adrien Agreste_. What about him made her heart leap in joy? Certainly good looks is one of the reasons, because darn, is he good looking. Naturally he would be for a model. Other than that, his smile… it’s so heartwarming, so genuine. She can tell he is a kindhearted soul. She could tell that just from the billboard itself, even, but seeing it in person is like a whole different experience.

Alya is poking her shoulder. “Girl… you already crushing on him?”

She groans but otherwise smiles. “Head over heels, Alya. Head over heels.”

 

* * *

 

“So who exactly _are_ you?”

Ladybug dodges a flying kick and throws a punch. Chat Noir shields it with his arms in a criss-cross formation, sending a smirk as he always does.

“I’m Ladybug, duh.” Sweat is rolling down her face. She feels hot in her skin-tight outfit but continues throwing more kicks and punches, each and every one being expertly deflected or dodged by the agile cat boy. She, too, feels at ease dodging the boy’s attacks, swishing this way and that in ways she would never be able to move as Marinette.

“No, no, I mean…” Dodge, kick. “Who _are_ you? What’s your real identity?”

Another punch, another dodge. “Why would I tell you?”

Chat Noir makes a motion to cease their sparring match. Ladybug is panting heavily, her heart racing, as she relaxes from her fighting pose. “Don’t you trust me, Ladybug?”

“We’ve only known each other for a week,” she says in a matter-of-fact manner, sitting down. He sits next to her, rubbing away the sweat dripping on his forehead. Ladybug wipes her chin. “It’s not like I don’t trust you, but I don’t trust you enough. Besides, I don’t think I’ll ever tell you, actually.”

“Oh, you wound me so, my dear lady,” he says in faux sadness, dramatically arching backward. “And why is that?”

“Because if somehow word gets out of our real identities, then we put everyone we love in danger.”

“But it would only be between us. Between superheroes,” he reasons.

She lets out a sigh. “Still, it would be risky. I just really don’t feel comfortable about revealing myself. At least not right now. Maybe some time in a year or so.”

He grins mischievously. “I’ll hold you on to that.”

She just rolls her eyes.

 

* * *

 

Late for class, Marinette starts sprinting towards the building, a piece of bread in her mouth. She munches on it heartily, her eyes darting toward her phone’s clock every second. _The teacher is gonna yell at me again_ , she thinks with a groan, quickening her pace until she finds herself heaving. Despite her struggle, her heart is still, calm. She doesn’t have time to question it as she darts across the streets, finally reaching the school grounds and—

She bumps into something and falls backwards on her bottom. She mouths an ouch and rubs the pain away, looking up.

“A-Adrien?” she gasps aloud, trying to regain her composure. Her heart is pulsating now.

“Hey, you’re in my class. Looks like we’re both late,” he says, smiling sheepishly. He offers a hand and she gladly takes it. “The teacher will be so mad at us. Let’s try sneaking in together.”

_Together_. The simple word makes it hard for her to breathe. Being with Adrien himself sucks the air right out of her.

The two start tip-toeing their way inside the classroom, careful not to disturb anything and softening their footsteps by moving like they were in a slow motion scene in an action movie, or as if they were walking in a puddle of molasses.

Safely, the two tardy kids make it to their seats without the teacher turning around. Adrien turns around and sticks out his arm, his lone fist hanging in the air. Confused, Marinette just stares at it.

Adrien softly mouths, “ _Pound it_ ,” and Marinette suddenly goes _“oh”_. She reaches for him tentatively, connecting her own fist to his; a shock of electricity surges through her from the simple contact, and as their fists breaks away, she still feels energized from the electricity.

Alya is just looking at her suspiciously. “Girl… what just happened?” she whispers, confusion all over her words.

Marinette waves her off. “I’ll explain later.”

 

* * *

 

Another day, another akuma-ridden victim, another Lucky Charm.

Her earrings are beeping down quickly, and she hurriedly tries to find a hiding place, but a hand around her wrist stops her before she can do anything.

Chat Noir is looking down at her with downturned ears, his eyes pleading. “Can I please know who you are? It’s killing me.”

“Chat, I don’t have time for this,” she says gruffly, tugging her arm away. “I’ll tell you some time in the future, but not _now_ and not any time soon, okay? Take care, Chat.” And with that, she leaves him behind, rushing back towards her house in haste.

Her transformation wears off in time right after she lands onto her rooftop. She slides into her room and goes downstairs to say a greeting to her parents, but she can’t find them anywhere. Suddenly, she remembers them telling her yesterday to tend to the bakery all day today. She smacks her forehead, reprimanding herself for forgetting such an important task.

She hurriedly puts on her pink apron and ties her hair up in a loose ponytail, curly from always being in pigtails. The door bell rings just as she goes up the counter. “Welcome to the Dupain-Cheng bakery,” she greets sweetly, giving the customer her best sugary grin.

The grin starts to droop, however, when she sees that the customer in question is none other than Adrien Agreste. His head is hanging down low, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Hi there. Have you seen _—_ oh, aren’t you in my class? We were both late the other day!”

Her heart feels like it could leap out of her chest any minute now. “Y-yeah,” she stutters quietly, trying to hide her face with her bangs. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

He steps in front of the counter, the closeness making Marinette feel like she is about to faint. “Actually, I was looking for someone, but it looks like they’re not here. Um, that strawberry muffin looks really good though.”

“One muffin, coming right up!” she says a bit too strongly, too loudly. Her blush starts eating up the entirety of her face.

She grabs the muffin he is pointing at with a set of tongs, carefully placing it inside a plastic wrap. She ties it carefully and neatly, presenting it to the blond with a wavering smile. “H-here you go…”

“Thank you, uh…” He looks up as if to think, his hand on his chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever got your name the other day.”

“It’s Marinette!” she says, too overenthusiastic. She mentally slaps herself.

Adrien looks as if he’s thinking long and hard before smiling at her, repeating her name: “Marinette.”

“Y-yeah, Adrien!” she blurts out. Her face has completely succumbed to the carnivorous blush at this point, her entire body being victimized next. Her heart isn’t doing any better, either, already having been a victim from the minute she saw it was her crush. “I, uh… have a nice day… and stuff…”

“You too,” he says cooly, waving a goodbye to her before leaving.

Marinette smacks her head against the counter. _So stupid, so insanely stupid._

 

* * *

 

After taking care of another monster, the satisfied duo eye each other knowingly, and as if they could read each other’s minds, they fist bump each other.

“Pound it,” Chat Noir says, grinning from ear to ear.

Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Ladybug eyes him suspiciously but nonetheless repeats what he says. Then, she asks, “Where did you hear that from?”

“Everyone does this on TV, right?” Chat Noir explains. “I thought it was a thing teenagers do.”

“You talk as if you’re not one yourself,” she scoffs, amused.

A pink blush taints his cheeks. “Well, I didn’t have many friends growing up so I’m not really used to interacting with many other people. I don’t know… was it weird?”

She starts to laugh, way too amused at this point. “No, no, you’re fine, kitty cat.”

His blush starts to darken, his lips quivering. “Hey, that’s condescending!”

“What is?” She bats her eyelashes innocently at him, her hands clasped together to make her look even more angelic.

“Calling me kitty cat!”

“But that’s what you are,” she says defiantly.

He huffs. “Well, I can think of a few names to call you, _my lady_ ,” he sneers.

“Give me your _worst_.”

“They’re way too inappropriate for the ears of a young _lady_ like yourself. I would completely taint your innocence,” he says dramatically.

Before she could retort (and she had a really good retaliation, too), their Miraculous start to simultaneously beat. The two say goodbye to each other and run off in separate directions. Marinette just barely makes it to her room before her transformation wears off.

_Oh, and I was actually having fun messing around with him..._

 

* * *

 

“A _C_ in physics?” Marinette groans aloud, laying her head down on her desk.

Alya is beside her, patting her back. “It could be worse, Marinette. Just be glad you passed.”

“But I can’t just barely be passing a class! I want at least a B at the very minimum for each class, but physics is always kicking my butt…”

“Hmm, I understand the concepts but not enough to teach. Sorry I can’t help you there.” She cocks her head to the side, a sly smirk appearing on her face. “Hey, maybe you can ask the new kid to tutor you. I heard he was homeschooled so he’s already ahead of us. He should be able to teach you enough to bump your grade up to a B at least, and you can hang out with him and fawn all over him. Win-win, am I right?”

Marinette’s ears turn a bright pink at this, her eyes wide. “I don’t even know Adrien…”

Alya lets out a deep, satisfied snicker. “Oh, so Adrien’s his name? You’re crushing on him so badly, Marinette. Just look at you!”

“Shut up, Alya,” she half-screams, half-whispers through gritted teeth. “Adrien’s right there!”

Surely enough, Adrien is calmly sitting in his seat, his head bouncing up and down to the music he’s listening to with Nino, who’s letting him share his earbuds with.

Upon hearing his name, however, he turns around and shoots the girls a questioning look. “Did you say something?” He then turns to Marinette, giving her a small smile. “Oh, Marinette! Thanks for the muffin yesterday! It was _muffin_ to scoff at!”

Nino playfully punches his arm for that lame joke. Alya is snorting, and Marinette finds herself conflicted with concern for how lame the joke compared to Adrien’s otherwise cool image and happiness that Adrien is paying attention to her. She decides to respond with a forced laugh, telling Adrien that it was a good joke.

He smiles haughtily. “Thanks. I’ve been working on it all morning.” He suddenly shifts gears and eyes Marinette specifically. “Anyway, I heard you saying my name, I think. Do you need anything?”

“Well, I—”

“Marinette wanted to ask you if you could tutor her in physics. She’s practically failing right now and needs all the help she can get,” interrupts Alya, who’s winking at her. Marinette groans internally for having a loud-mouthed best friend.

“Hm, well, I usually do have free time after school, but my schedule is wonky sometimes so I can’t meet you every single day. But sure, I’d love to help, Marinette.”

“Th-thank you, Adrien!” Marinette is ecstatic. She feels like her heart could explode any second now, and from the way it’s beating incessantly and quickly, it might as well just detonate right now. “I really owe you one!”

“It’s no problem at all.” And with that, he offers her a small smile before returning back to listening to music with Nino.

Alya gives her a thumbs up, and Marinette, despite the constant grievance her best friend gives her, mirrors the notion. Mission accomplished.

 

* * *

 

After school, Marinette is approached by Adrien, who is smiling at her as he usually does. Marinette smiles back but she can feel it’s lopsided and awkward, so she opts to just wave.

“Ready for some physics fun?” he asks sarcastically, hands on hips.

Marinette nods too enthusiastically, and Adrien eyes her suspiciously for it. He nods it off, though, as he leads the way to a nearby bench. He takes out a notebook and a pen, tapping is softly against the red cover.

“So what exactly are you having trouble with?”

Marinette blinks. “Oh, um… vectors, mostly. Also, motion problems.”

“Oh, those are easy,” he says, making Marinette feel dumb. She smiles nonetheless, and without any hesitation, Adrien starts to ramble on and on about everything physics, explaining everything to her in fine detail. Surprisingly, everything he says makes sense, and she thinks he is ever better at explaining the concepts than their teacher.

While Adrien is scribbling on her paper with her pen (which he stole without really asking, but she doesn’t mind much), Marinette instinctively notices her heart racing in a pace unmatched by even the greatest of racing athletes. She really must be head over heels for him if it’s thumping against her chest this quickly.

She tries to calm it down with deep breaths as she usually does, even though most of the times it never works. Everything Adrien does, she sees as if in slow motion, every movement and every detail of his hand engraved in her mind. “You’re good,” she says without really thinking.

“Thanks. I already learned all this stuff at home, and I had a great teacher too, so I even learned his tricks on teaching others. It’s simply, really. You just gotta keep things clear and to keep your student engaged. He even taught me an acronym for it. Keep it stupid simple, or _kiss_.”

“Yeah, yeah, oh—wait, what?” Marinette, who was only half-listening, looks at him questioningly.

Adrien looks back at her in the same questioning manner. “Kiss. You know, the acronym?”

“Oh, right. _Kiss_.” She mentally curses at herself for not appreciating Adrien’s kind offer to tutor her. She can dream about all the fantasies she wants at a later time, but right now, she needs to pay attention to Adrien. “Thanks for teaching me, Adrien.”

“It’s no problem at all. It’s nice to be able to talk to someone, actually, and I’m glad it’s someone as sweet as you, Marinette.”

She smiles, feeling as if she has just fallen even deeper in the abyss of love and officially can’t get out anymore.

 

* * *

 

Other than just saving the day, Marinette starts transforming into Ladybug for her own self-interests. Being Ladybug gives her newfound confidence she has never dreamed of having, and sometimes, she even dons the red spandex just to sit on the rooftop and think about anything.

Under the rare starry sky, Ladybug tentatively reaches out as if to touch the bright sky, curling her fingers in front of the brightest star she sees. She wants to think Adrien is like a star, wants to think of something romantic and lovey-dovey to compare him to, but she thinks, Adrien can’t be a star. A star would be a collective, which despite their individual differences, are the same in everyone’s eyes, and Adrien is too unique for something like that. She can’t think of anything else to compare him to, but that makes her think, Adrien must be uncomparable. Nobody has ever made her heart react in a way he does, and he does it by just existing, orchestrating her heart like a symphony, making it go faster with a simple smile and slowing it down by brushing against her.

Except, she starts to rethink and realizes her heart also seems to race whenever Chat Noir is around, but whenever he shows up, she’s also pumped with adrenaline in response to an akuma attack.

She can’t possibly like him too. She refuses to believe it.

But as if fate wants to laugh at her, to torment her, her heart suddenly starts beating fast as she hears an all too-familiar mewl beside her: “Hey, Ladybug. Fancy seeing you here.”

“What are _you_ doing here?” she inquires, slightly annoyed. Her heart reacting to him must be out of sheer annoyance. That must be it. That just _has_ to be it.

“I like to go stargazing on rooftops, duh,” he says sarcastically, plopping down next to her. “But seriously, I just had a hunch you would be out here somewhere, so I decided to go looking for you.”

“What, you have something important to say? I wanted to be here _alone_ , thank you very much,” she says through gritted teeth.

Chat Noir puffs out his cheeks. “Geez, I just thought we could talk. I think we could really be good friends if you just stop being so against me all the time.”

Ladybug flinches, taken aback by his words. She feels she is pretty hostile to him for what seems like no apparent reason, and even she starts feel guilty for it. It’s not fair to Chat Noir, who apparently doesn’t even seem to have a lot of friends to begin with.

She lets out a sigh, her breath cold against the winter air. “Sorry, sorry. I just… don’t like egotistical people. It really riles me up, I guess.”

“You better get used to it ‘cause that’s apparently just who I am.” He inches closer to her, their arms barely touching now, but Ladybug surprisingly doesn’t find herself inching away. The touch feels oddly comforting. Must be because the extra warmth against the cold air makes her feel a lot cozier. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve been wondering what it looks like.”

“That’s weird,” she says pointedly. “It looks like any other smile. Just look at someone else’s smile and imagine it on my face.”

“Everyone’s smile is unique, though. Even I know that much. They’re like the stars, you know? Everyone thinks they’re all the same, but really, they’re all unique.”

“You’re getting all weird and philosophical now,” she says, softly giggling. It feels too weird having Chat Noir, of all people, think so similarly to her.

Chat Noir’s eyes widen, almost to the size of the full moon above them, his mouth agape. “There—that’s the smile I’ve been wanting!”

She starts laughing louder. “What on _earth_ are you talking about, Chat?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever actually seen you genuinely happy. It’s too surreal.” He pauses as if to think, then adds, “You’re very cute when you laugh, by the way.”

“Oh, you,” she says, forcing out the sarcasm. She covers her cheeks with her hands to hide the blush creeping up on her.

“I’m being serious here. You really are beautiful, my Lady. I think I can fall in love with you any moment now.”

“Stop with the jokes already,” she says, suddenly serious. Her laughter had already ceased by then, her lips a thin line.

Chat Noir starts laughing himself. “Okay, sorry, sorry. But I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re beautiful, _my Lady_.”

She doesn’t respond to that, shifting her eyes away from him, the blush eating up her face. _Stop that_ , she says, reprimanding herself, but it’s no use, and suddenly her entire body feels tingly.

Chat Noir shifts next to her. “Hey, have you ever thought about having a soulmate?”

“What brought this on?” she asks, half-glad that the subject changed but also half-annoyed that it changed to a topic of romance.

“I dunno. Just wondering.”

She glances at him with her peripheral vision, looking as his eyes are locked on her, intense and serious. She has never seen them that intense before, and it makes her involuntarily shiver. “Um, I think… soulmates do exist, but people can also carve their own destiny. It’s always your own decision. No one can control you. I don’t think anyone just _has_ to be with someone else just because they’re a soulmate.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“What about you? What do you think about this?”

He goes quiet for a while before answering. “I’d like to think everyone has a soulmate, but sometimes you don’t find your other half. Sometimes you never find your other half. But the lucky few who do find their other half… I think no matter what, they’re destined to be together, regardless of what happens or what they think. They’ll eventually fall in love with each other, indubitably, no matter how long it takes. Of course, I’m kind of unlucky myself, but I think my soulmate is out there somewhere, and I’ll find them someday.”

“You’re getting all sappy again,” she says, amused and giggling.

“I guess you can call me a bit of a romantic.” He wiggles his eyebrows behind his mask, looking at her with a shameless, toothy grin. “I can’t help but show my romantic side in front of a beautiful young lady.”

She pushes him away again, but finds herself smiling, wide; but she hides it away from him, hidden by the shadows of the darkness. The two continue their usual casual banter, stopping when they realize it’s almost midnight. Chat Noir is the one to leave first, taking her hand and kissing the top of it; and she leaves afterward, feeling the blush and grin on her face never leaving as she makes her way back to her room.

 

* * *

 

“I’m so sorry!” Adrien clasps his hands together, bowing overdramatically. “I have fencing class today, so I can’t tutor you. I know it’s really inconvenient since the physics test is tomorrow and everything…”

“Oh, n-no, it’s fine,” Marinette stutters out softly.

The blond only looks at her, unconvinced. “I’ll make it up to you somehow.” He pauses; then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, he looks at Marinette wide-eyed, a huge grin plastered on his face. “How about you go to fencing class with me? You can watch me kick some butt and I can teach you a couple problems on my break. How’s about it?”

“Would that really be okay?” She starts twiddling with her fingers and twirling a lock of her hair, her cheeks feeling hot. “I don’t want to be a bother…”

“It’s no problem at all. C’mon, let’s hurry or I’ll be late.”

He doesn’t even give her any time to react before he drags her to the outdoor court. A couple boys are already suited up and practicing against each other. Marinette feels extremely uncomfortable with all the masculine pheromones in the air, the place smelling like sweat. Adrien smiles at her and tells her to wait right here as he gets changed, and she does that, sitting patiently on a bench.

Two of the guys approaches her, taking their masks off to reveal their sweaty, ruddy faces. One of them has a long face, and the other one has freckles.

The one guy with freckles peers down at her as if she was a lab experiment and he was a scientist, carefully examining her. She feels completely exposed and vulnerable, which sends shivers down her spine.

“Um, can I help you?” she says in a cracked voice.

“What are you doing here?” He grins at her, full of smugness. “Hey, I saw you with Adrien. Are you Adrien’s girl?”

“N-no!” she blurts out all of a sudden, feeling her cheeks get hotter than before.

The other guy with the long face is grinning now, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shivers at the touch, trying to gently pry him away but he doesn’t budge.

“Hey, now, don’t get feisty with us. We just wanted to socialize with a pretty girl like you.”

“I’d like you to leave me alone…” she says defiantly through gritted teeth, ready to roundhouse kick them if need be. The guy with freckles touches her other shoulder at that, smirking all the while; and with an annoyed face, she gets readied to send some flying punches to knock those dastardly smirks off of their faces.

But then she feels the hands moved away, as if by force, and she looks up to see Adrien looking at them, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. “Don’t touch her again, you guys,” he says through gritted teeth. She sees the way he clutches the base of his foil tightly. “I’m serious.”

The two other boys look at him with fearful eyes. “S-sorry, man. We just wanted to talk with her. We didn’t mean any harm,” the freckled one says before the two scurry back out onto the court.

Adrien then turns to her, his furrowed eyebrows relaxing and his deep frown turning into one of worry. “Did they bother you, Marinette?”

“Oh, um, no, I’m fine. They were nice,” she lies, smiling sheepishly.

He looks at her as if suspicious but shrugs it off. “Well, tell me if anyone else bothers you or anything. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or anything.” He puts on his mask, his voice slightly muffled. “You can leave any time if you want, by the way. My break is in twenty minutes, so it might be a while.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I can wait.” She offers him her best smile and he takes the bait, smiling back before running off and taking position on the court.

With the headgear on, it’s difficult to distinguish which one is Adrien; but she notices one figure move with the flexibility of a cat, and it is so reminiscent of someone that she can’t help but gasp. Is Chat Noir part of the fencing club?

She starts examining him more closely. The build is very much Chat Noir, and the way he gracefully stabs with his foil also reminds her of Chat Noir’s battling style with his baton. There’s really no questioning it now; one of these fencing guys is Chat Noir, or at the very least must be a huge fan of him enough that he has learned his moves. Or the third option: she’s going crazy.

After the twenty minutes are over, she sees all the boys running back into the locker room. With the huge scramble, she loses sight of her “Chat Noir”-like figure, but she thinks, it’s for the best anyway. She wouldn’t want to know his identity anyway. It would probably lead to too many complications.

Adrien walks up to her, his hair slicked back from all the sweat. “Sorry I’m all gross right now. But we can study now if you want. Tomorrow’s test is all over relative motion problems so we need to focus on those.”

“Alright,” she says, readying her pen and paper.

For the next ten minutes, Adrien’s rambling clouds her mind, but his teaching style is quick and efficient, and she finds herself learning a lot from him in the short span of time. After finishing the third problem set successfully, Adrien puts his fist up, and she connects her own with his, saying “Pound it!” simultaneously with him.

Marinette gets up and tells him goodbye, but before she can leave, he calls out her name and she instinctively turns around, looking at him questioningly.

He smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Goodbye hug?” he asks, unsure. His face is screaming of someone who has all the hope in the world yet no hope at all.

Marinette’s heartbeat quickens at the prospect of hugging her _crush_. Of all people to ask her! _It must be my lucky day_ , she thinks, a grin forcing its way to her face.

She nods in agreement and comes close to him, tentatively wrapping her arms around his waist as if she was afraid he was just a figment of her imagination. But he isn’t. He’s all real. All solid and tangible. And the hug is nice and warm, her ear pressed against his chest, his heartbeat loud and clear.

But she notices something odd. His heartbeat isn’t… _normal_. Like hers, it beats in a string of short notes, long notes, and pauses—but his is a different rhythm from hers. She feels like their heartbeats clash, completely out of synch from each other’s. It’s almost unnerving to her how different their heartbeats are, how they seem to fight each other, almost as if they can’t stand each other.

She quickly retracts from the hug, shocked at the revelation. Adrien looks taken aback but seems to brush it off quickly, smiling at her before running back out onto the court. With hurried steps, she runs out of the building and back to her home, where she immediately plops down on her bed, trying to process what just happened.

Maybe Adrien just has arrhythmia. Maybe she was just going crazy.

But she refutes herself. No, it can’t be, because she listened to it with her own ears, and she noticed how the rhythm was an ongoing loop of the same beats, going on and on. He has the same exact condition as hers, except their beats are different, and they clash, like their hearts hate each other. Like destiny has decided that her crush on Adrien is ill-fated and will never turn out well. Like fate has decided they’re both destined to never be together, to never breathe the same air together, to be, in fact, _enemies_.

 

* * *

 

Alya is freaking out, screaming at the top of her lungs. “What do you mean Adrien’s heart beats weirdly like yours?”

“I mean his heart beats in a certain rhythm, and it’s freaking me out.” Marinette shudders at the thought. Her and Adrien— _enemies_. Somehow it just doesn’t sound right at all, because they seem to have so much chemistry together, but fate is never wrong, and you just can’t defy fate.

“But his is different, right? Maybe you guys are still soulmates?”

Marinette groans loudly. “I’ve lost all hope. It really is hopeless. I can’t go against it. The world is just screaming at me, telling me that crushing on Adrien is a bad idea. I seriously _felt_ like our hearts were fighting, Alya. Don’t you understand how weird that is?”

“Well, I dunno, maybe it was just you who felt that way. I still think you guys are soulmates. It can’t be a coincidence that his heart has some weird rhythm like yours. And I dunno, Marinette…” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, grinning. “It seems like he likes you back. Maybe he even wants to _kiss_ you,” she teases, accentuating the word “kiss” with a prolonged noise.

“N-no way! Don’t be silly, Alya.” Marinette flushes a deep red as she starts twiddling with her fingers nervously. “I mean, yeah, he’s been super nice to me lately, but he’s literally nice to everyone. He could hate you and still probably be just as sweet!”

“Doesn’t he seem especially nice to you, though? He even asked for a goodbye hug! He at least likes you in some way. As always, poor little Marinette is in denial.”

She sticks out her tongue at her best friend, playfully punching the ombre-haired girl in the arm. “Shut up, Alya. I’m seriously so done with you.”

“Likewise,” Alya says, sticking her tongue out in retaliation.

The two continue to playfully tease each other until midnight, where Alya falls asleep, her snores keeping Marinette awake. Though, that’s not the only thing keeping her awake, for the thoughts of Adrien’s strange and similar case invades her mind. She can’t help but feel like this is some star-crossed lovers scheme, like her life is literally a romance novel written solely for entertainment, and she’s just a big joke. Alya is right; it really can’t be coincidence that Adrien’s heart beats in a weird rhythm like hers. The problem, what does it mean? What does any of this mean?

She stays awake the entire night, her eyes sore and baggy the next day. Fortunately, Alya seems oblivious to the fact. A certain blond boy, on the other hand…

“Marinette, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Adrien shoots her a worried look.

Though, she notices that he looks just as haggard as she does, his eyes droopy and his eyelids a dark color. She decides not to question his tired look and thinks it must be because Adrien is practically busy all day long with so many extracurriculars on top of modeling. She then laughs off her own tired look and explains that she just hasn’t been sleeping well lately, which isn’t too far from the truth.

“Well, if anything’s bothering you, feel free to tell me. I’m always here to listen,” Adrien offers kindly, accompanied by one of his signature sweet smiles.

Marinette smiles back, and thinks to herself, she’s willing to fight anyone—even fate—just to be able to see that smile every day.

 

* * *

 

It’s been months since working together with Chat Noir. Tons of enemies have been defeated thanks to them, they learned who was behind all the evil butterflies spreading around (some guy named Hawkmoth; Ladybug still isn’t sure what he looks like, but a name is at least a step forward), and somehow, Chat Noir doesn’t seem that annoying anymore. In fact, she actually enjoys their time together, feeling at ease with the blond boy despite the air of mystery surrounding him.

She isn’t sure what Chat Noir thinks of her, but she can tell it’s at least a positive perception from the way he coddles her constantly. Recently, he’s also been flirting with her lately, making suggestive comments and such, but always being respectful enough to stay behind her boundaries. She doesn’t mind the flirting all that much and, even though she does react in a way that would make people think she hates it, she actually likes it. It gives her a little bit of a self-confidence boost.

“My Lady,” Chat Noir says smoothly—or, at least, tries to say smoothly. In actuality, it comes out like a boyish squeak, small and frail. “I, um, ugh… I know… Um… I li—Oh, what a mess. Just forget it,” he stutters out with a defeated voice. “I even practiced it all this morning…” he mumbles under his breath.

Ladybug looks at him suspiciously. “What exactly are you going on about?”

“Oh, nothing really important, I guess…”

“Are you sure?” she asks, unconvinced. “You know you can tell me anything. I’d like to think we _are_ best friends. We’ve been together for so long… It’s hard not to think we aren’t.”

“We are,” he reassures her, nodding his head frantically like a buoy in the rough waters of an ocean. “It’s just hard to tell you about this little thing on my mind.”

“Do you trust me or not?”

“I do!” He bobs his head even more frantically, looking almost as if his head would fly off any second. “It’s not like I’m _not_ going to tell you. I’ll tell you eventually… I just lost my confidence right now.”

“Alright,” Ladybug says with finality in her tone as she notices his uncomfortable demeanor. She decides not to press any further, but does say one more thing on the subject: “You’re weird.” Then, she shrugs and starts jumping around the rooftops, hearing soft footsteps tapping behind her, mirroring her every action. She stops at a random building and sits down, looking at Chat Noir who steadily lands next to her.

“You know what?” she muses aloud.

Chat Noir’s ears perk up in interest. “What?”

“I never thought I’d like you as much as I do now, but I guess miracles happen.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he says with a laugh. He inches closer to her, tentative movements, and Ladybug stays exactly where she is, inching herself towards him too. “I, uhh…” the boy stutters out all of a sudden, his cheeks turning red.

“Hmm?” She quirks an eyebrow.

“I like you a lot too,” he says quietly, almost overtaken by the breeze.

She smiles at him, small but genuine. “Thank you. I’m glad to know you do.”

He smiles back, and it goes quiet between them, but it’s a comfortable silence shared only between friends who have known each other for as long as they have and have built a strong trust with each other. It’s a nice silence, a silence that speaks volumes between them, and she thinks, she wouldn’t be able to have such a comfortable silence with anyone else.

 

* * *

 

Taking her morning jog around the park, Marinette notices that the park is strangely empty today. Usually there are other people taking a run, too, but it seems as if she is the only one there.

She lays her hand over her heart and takes note of how calm it is despite her running for an hour straight. She has realized that her heart only quickens due to an adrenaline rush… or around Adrien, but that is only natural around someone you’re crushing on.

Suddenly, she feels it quickening. She looks around, confused, and finds the infamous black-clad cat boy inching towards her.

She internally groans.

“Hello there, young citizen,” he yells out awkwardly, in a voice that’s too loud and too robotic. “What are you doing out this early?”

“...just out for a short jog,” comes her straight faced reply. She continues jogging. Soft footsteps against the concrete can be heard behind her, but she doesn’t bother looking back.

“It seems dangerous for a pretty princess like you to be running around by yourself. I’ll stay around and keep you company.”

“I’m _fine_ , thank you.”

“I insist,” he urges, catching up her. Their steps promptly become in-synch with each other’s. “There’s been a lot of trouble going on around lately. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to someone as pretty as you.”

“Oh, so suave,” she says overdramatically, feigning a faint. Humoring him is hilarious, making her giggle softly to herself. “Alright, I’ll let you stay around. I mean, only because I’m oh so-scared of something bad happening to me.”

“Exactly.” A short wave of silence looms over the, only to be broken by Chat Noir’s whistling. “So, do you run every morning all alone?”

“Well, there’s usually other people here, so technically I’m not alone.”

“It’s supposed to be raining any second now actually.”

“Why exactly are _you_ out this early?”

“Just needed some fresh air to think. A lot’s been on my mind lately.”

A mischievous thought suddenly enters her mind. “Let me guess: Ladybug?”

“Well, I guess that’s part of it. I think… I think I’m starting to like her.”

She smirks amusedly. “It’s hard not to like someone like her. She’s brave, confident, and extremely heroic at that.”

“No, you don’t understand. I think I’m in _love_ her. For those reasons and more.”

Marinette’s dark eyebrows raise in surprise. Surely Chat Noir is a flirtatious kind of guy, but she would have never thought he would like her as anything more than a partner and a friend. Even thinking of each other as best friends isn’t out of the question, but Chat Noir actually being in love with her? Not just love, but _in_ love?

There are clear differences between loving someone and being _in_ love with someone; the latter isn’t exactly the type of affection Marinette would want from her partner.

“If you really like her that much, why are you flirting with me?”

Chat Noir purses his lips, looking away from her. “Well, I… I can’t just ignore a beautiful princess like you, now, can I?”

“Oh, please do,” she says, sarcasm dripping in her voice like a leaky faucet.

Chat Noir still looks unfazed by her obvious attempts to get him to leave her alone, looking up at the dank sky. “Do you like anyone?”

Marinette abruptly stops jogging, her heart briskly pacing. “Yes, but it’s none of your concern.”

“Well, I bet he likes you back. He would have to be a complete idiot not to like someone like you back. Anyway, I have to go back now.” He pauses slightly, adding, “You should start heading back too. It looks like it’s about to rain. See you later, my _—_ err, _princess._ ”

Surely enough, small droplets start slowly dripping on her face. Chat Noir bows to her and bids farewell, leaping across rooftops with agile precision. All the while, Marinette feels her face surprisingly extremely hot.

 

* * *

 

 

_Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste. Adrien Agreste._

_Marinette Agreste?_

Marinette is doodling all over her notes again, her pen scraping against the paper, making swirls and hearts everywhere. She lets out a dreamy sigh and looks at the object of her affections, sitting right in front of her.

“Marinette!” Suddenly, she looks up from her paper and looks at the teacher who is giving her a disappointed and frustrated glare. “Marinette, can you please tell the class who Samuel F. B. Morse is?”

She starts to panic, blurting out, “Uhh, morse code?”

The teacher looks unimpressed. “Yes, and what else did he do? I just said this a few minutes ago.”

Without thinking, she just shrugs her shoulder. The whole class starts snickering, making Marinette’s whole face heat up in embarrassment.

“I thought so. You weren’t listening.” The teacher gives her a warning glare. “Make sure to pay attention, Marinette, or I’ll be forced to send you down to the principal’s office.”

“Yes, ma’am…” She stops doodling and starts listening to the teacher. Morse code this, morse code that, blah blah blah. Suddenly, the teacher is telling the class to write down their names in morse code, and Marinette is just sitting there, dumbfounded and confused. How exactly is she supposed to write it?

Alya, noticing her best friend’s panic, slides her notes over to her. “Here. Just write it down quickly when she’s not looking.”

Marinette stares at her best friend’s notes. It is filled with a series of dots and dashes. Without thinking much about it, Marinette translates her name into morse code. She stares at it, studying it carefully. After carefully examining it some more, Marinette blinks and places a hand over her heart. Could it be…?

Hastily, she tries to decode the rhythm of her heart. Short, long, pause, long, short, short, pause, short, long, short, pause, short, short, pause, short, pause, long, short...

_A—_

After just a few more minutes, the teacher tells everyone to stop writing. Marinette completely ignores her and continues to write.

“Okay, class, one by one, sing your name out loud in morse code. Let’s start with you, Chloé.”

_D—_

The classroom is full of singing now, some people singing too loudly, too softly, out of tune, perfectly in tune. The noises make it hard to concentrate, but Marinette somehow manages to trudge on.

_R—_

“Alright, good job so far, class. Next up is Rose. Try your best to sing, and don’t even think about laughing at others or you’ll be written up and sent to the principal’s office. I’m looking at you, Chloé.”

The blonde makes a nervous noise.

_I—_

“Kim, you’re up.”

_E—_

“Okay, Adrien, it’s your turn now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

_N—_

She blanches.

And all of a sudden, she hears her heart beat outside of her body, being sung by none other than Adrien himself.

Short, long, pause, long, short, short, pause, short, long, short, pause, short, short, pause, short, pause, long, short.

The sweet melody comes out of his mouth like honey, perfectly in synch with her heartbeats until she notices it’s beating faster and faster each second.

Adrien.

Adrien.

_Adrien_.

 

* * *

 

The revelation comes as a big shock. Could it just be coincidence? Or is her heart beating out Adrien’s name on purpose? Is fate toying with her this much?

It could be a different Adrien.

He could be her soulmate, but he might not be as well.

It could very well mean that he’s her enemy.

There’s a chance it means absolutely nothing and she’s just wasting her time.

Even though she has finally decoded the rhythm of her heartbeat, she feels as if she’s more confused than ever. What about Adrien’s weird rhythm? What exactly does that translate to?

Nothing makes sense anymore. This couldn’t be anything but one big coincidence.

_Right_?

 

* * *

 

Sometimes, she gets tired of listening to her heartbeat. After all these years of listening to it, constantly, she feels the need to take a break.

Sometimes, she starts singing her own name now. Long, long, pause, short, long, pause, short, long, short, pause, short, short, pause, long, short, pause, short, pause, long, pause, long, pause, short.

When she sings it along with her heartbeat, she feels whole.

 

* * *

 

Alya is staring at her, wide-eyed with shock. “No way, Marinette. Is your heart really beating in morse code?”

“Even I don’t believe something as ludicrous as that. It must be coincidence, right?”

The ombre-haired girl shrugs. “Weirder things have happened. Some things are medical mysteries, and you, my friend, are one of the seven wonders. But seriously, let me get this straight: your heart is beating out _Adrien’s_ name. Adrien, your crush? That can’t just be coincidence.”

“But it’s too good to be true,” she says in a whiny voice. Why is she even complaining?

Alya is patting her shoulder. “Face it, Marinette. You and the guy are just meant to be. That’s why you were so in love with him when you first laid eyes on him, and I bet he feels the same way about you, Marinette. It must be fate. You two are soulmates. There’s no other possible explanation.”

“Yeah, and I bet his heart is beating out my name too, huh?” she offers sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“It has to!” Alya’s voice has gotten really loud at this point, her excitement evident in the way her arms are flailing and her eyes are sparkling. “You should ask him if you can listen to his heart again.”

Marinette, red-faced, stands up all of a sudden and starts flailing around too, stuttering all the while. “I-I… Alya! If I can’t even say hi to him straightly, what makes you think I can ask something as creepy and suspicious as that? I’d rather die of embarrassment first than ask him _that_. Oh, look at me, I’m Marinette and I’m going to ask my crush who I can’t even talk straight to if I can put my ear against his chest to test out a silly theory that doesn’t even make any sense.”

“I think you’re just in denial. My theory is fool-proof. Like I’ve said a million times before, when am I ever wrong?”

“You’re definitely wrong about this one this time around, Alya.”

“Whatever you say. But don’t come crawling back to me when it turns out I’m right!”

The two girls laugh, playfully punching each other. All the while, Marinette’s thoughts linger on her best friend’s theory. She would be ecstatic if it was true, but at the same time, a sense of fear bothers her.

She’s definitely completely okay with Adrien being her soulmate. On the other hand, would Adrien be fine with _Marinette_ being his?

 

* * *

 

“I’m in love with you,” Chat Noir tells her softly, his cat ears downturned and his thumbs twiddling against each other. She doesn’t know how to react to his uncharacteristic shy and melancholy demeanor. It’s as if he has no hope, yet all the hope in the world, all at once, and he’s fighting for a slim chance.

She knows that in typical romantic fair, her heart is supposed to leap and she’s supposed to reciprocate his feelings. But her heart feels frozen, the slowing rhythm threatening to halt to a permanent stop, and she has to suck in air just to be able to breathe again.

“Chat,” she breathes out. “I love you too, Chat…” His ears perk up and she sighs. “…but I’m not _in_ love with you.”

All the hope that lingers in his eyes dissipate. What remains is a broken boy with quivering lips, looking like he’s about to cry. But Chat Noir is strong, and she knows he is fighting back the tears.

“I expected as much,” comes his sad response. He gives her a halfhearted smile. “There must be someone else, right?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He starts to laugh, but it’s a broken kind of laughter. Suddenly, he’s down on his knees, tears falling and staining the ground. His cries echo through the air, and it makes Ladybug’s heart throb, painfully, slowly.

She kneels down and leans in toward him, wrapping her arms around him. He is shocked at first but, as he continues to cry his heart out, he wraps his own arms around Ladybug’s shoulders, hugging her tightly as if he is scared she will leave him forever.

She soothingly hums her heartbeat to him. His cries start to die down and he melts into her arms, reduced to only hiccupping and sniffles. The two stay in the same position for some time, only breaking apart when the sun sets and the orange and purple glow of the sky envelops them.

 

* * *

 

When Adrien enters the classroom, Marinette immediately notices how puffy his eyes are, how bloodshot his sclera is. She wants to go up and comfort him, to hug him, but if she can’t even talk to him properly, then she definitely wouldn’t be able to just go up to him and hug him.

Nino seems to have noticed too and is asking a lot of questions, but Adrien just shrugs him off, saying he had a bad night and wasn’t willing to share anything.

Marinette could think of several things that would stress Adrien, being the busybody he is with a neglectful father to boot. It’s a miracle he doesn’t have puffy eyes every day considering how stressful his entire life is.

“You should cheer him up,” Alya whispers to her. “Write him a note or something so you don’t have to directly talk to him.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” she whispers back, taking out a piece of scrap paper to write on. She starts writing and doodling away on the scrap, her pen swirling around the paper. _Feel better soon_ is scrawled in bubbly letters on the paper, a drawing of her as a nurse treating a sad and sick Adrien. She folds it up and taps on Nino’s shoulder.

“This is for Adrien,” she whispers, careful to keep track of the teacher.

Nino looks at her weirdly as if to say “why didn’t you just give it to him yourself if he’s right in front of you,” but he soon just shrugs it off and passes it onto his best friend.

Adrien seems to perk up from the way his shoulders tense; and after just a bit, he turns around to look at Marinette and give her the biggest, toothiest smile he can fit on his face, mouthing a “Thank you so much” to her. She gives him an equally goofy grin back, mouthing back a “You’re welcome”.

Unfortunately, the teacher notices their exchange and catches them red handed, telling them to both go to the principal’s office. With simultaneous sighs, the two walk out the classroom, but immediately start laughing together once the door closes, tears of joy collecting at the corners of their eyes.

“Marinette,” he breathes out slowly, still laughing. “I loved your message, especially your drawing. It really made my day.”

“That was the plan,” she says surprisingly confidently.

“I really want to hug you right now,” he confesses abashedly. “You’re just so sweet. I’m so glad to have a friend like you.”

“I-I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

And with that, the two tentatively wrap their arms around each other, Marinette wrapping her arms around his waist. With her ear pressed against his chest, she listens carefully to his breathing, to his heartbeat. It takes her a while to register it since it’s beating so quickly, but once she does, she inwardly gasps.

It was her name.

_It was her name._

. . .

Her heart is beating Adrien’s name, and Adrien’s heart is beating her name.

She wants to believe in Alya. She wants to believe this means they really are soulmates, but the way her heart had fought against his before, it seems more likely that they’re the opposite of soulmates. Like they’re supposed to be destined to hate each other.

Yet, she feels a strong connection with him that contradicts that. Her heartbeat does, after all, only react when he’s around. That must mean something other than to hate each other.

She sighs, holding her head in her arms. She’s thinking too much again. Her head hurts. She decides to call Alya to take her mind off of things for a while.

 

* * *

 

Patrol with Chat Noir the next night isn’t awkward. It’s as if yesterday didn’t happen, with Chat Noir being as bubbly and upbeat as ever, cracking lame jokes and making slick moves on her, always mindful of her boundaries. Ladybug doesn’t pay it much mind. She is glad that her partner understands. Romance especially shouldn’t interfere with their line of work lest emotions get in the way of saving people.

However, she notices him being a little too cheerful and cracking a bit too many jokes. Hiding the pain. She knows it all too well. The feeling of rejection still lingers in his mind, she thinks to herself solemnly, and it will probably linger for a while longer.

She watches him playfully balance himself on the edge of the rooftop, tip-toeing across with arms outstretched. She coughs on purpose, trying to get his attention but he doesn’t turn around.

“Chat, are you okay?” she asks him all of a sudden. Chat Noir loses his balance but regains it quickly enough to land safely back on the rooftop.

“I, uh… yeah, I’m fine.”

“You can talk to me about anything, you know,” she offers quietly. She jumps onto the edge of the rooftop and copies him, balancing with outstretched arms just as he was doing before. Chat Noir follows suit.

“Just still bummed that the love of my life doesn’t like me back in that way. You know. The usual teenage angst.”

“At least I admitted that I still love you, silly kitty,” she says, sighing. “I already have someone else I like. You already know that too. But… I understand how you’re feeling right now. My crush probably doesn’t even really notice me.”

“Oh, he doesn’t?” He raises an eyebrow. “I’m surprised anyone wouldn’t be able to keep their eyes off of your radiance, my Lady.”

Ladybug gives him a soft laugh. “Well, my civilian self and my superhero persona are two different separate entities. The Ladybug you know is completely different from my normal self. That side of me probably isn’t as exciting.”

“I’m sure every side of you is as radiant as how you act around me.” He smiles, then suddenly looks really weary and pale. He stops following her on the edge of the rooftop and collapses on the side, his hand on his forehead. In one swift movement, Ladybug hops off the edge and is already by his side, worriedly brushing a hand against his forehead.

“Chat, are you sick?” Her heart is beating the fastest it has ever beaten in her life. She tries to calm herself down, but seeing Chat Noir look so weak makes it hard not to panic. “Chat, speak to me. Are you sick? Please tell me what I can do.”

“It’s fine, Ladybug. I just… haven’t been eating properly or getting enough sleep lately.”

“Stressed?” She purses her lips. She feels as if all this is all her fault.

“Very,” he answers weakly. The façade from earlier was just him overcompensating and covering up the fact that he really was unwell, both emotionally and physically. Ladybug feels wholly responsible for his stress, the panic and guilt make her heart tense even more.

“Wait right here. I’ll get you something to eat.” She gets up and starts to run, but a hand around her wrist stops her from advancing. She looks down at the sickened Chat Noir, who is smiling weakly below her. “What are you doing? You need to eat and get some sleep, Chat. I can help you.”

“I don’t need it… Just… just stay by my side, okay? Don’t leave, please.” His voice is pleading, begging on its knees. “Please just don’t leave me. I’ll be fine by tomorrow. I promise.”

Wearily, despite her better judgement, Ladybug sits down and caresses the boy in her arms. He snuggles against her face, closing his eyes, and starts humming softly. When he stops humming, she assumes he is fast asleep and lays him down in his lap, petting his hair gently. His blond locks are soft and silky, the strands easily flowing through her fingers as she brushes through them.

Despite herself feeling calm, her heart doesn’t reciprocate and instead is still beating as fast as ever. Always around Chat Noir, she thinks, frowning. Her heart must be faulty sometimes.

 

* * *

 

“Here you go,” Ladybug says, throwing a bag at Chat Noir’s direction. He successfully catches it and peers inside, the sweet smell of bread coming out.

“Bread?” He takes a croissant and bites into it. “Wow, it’s really good!”

“I just figured if you’re not feeding yourself, I might as well feed you myself, kitty cat. I made those, by the way, so you better not be lying,” she teases, leaning over him and grabbing a croissant for herself.

With a mouthful of bread in his mouth, Chat Noir says in a muffled voice, “No, no, these really are good.”

“Chew before you speak, you big baby,” she says, laughing aloud. He starts laughing too after swallowing his food, grabbing another croissant from the bag.

“Thanks for the food, Ladybug. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.”

“It’s no problem.” She gazes up at the night sky, starless as always, finishing the rest of her croissant. “I really care for you. Like I said, I love you. Even though I don’t love you in that way, I’ll still always care for you.” She tenses all of a sudden, her face getting hot. “I mean, sorry for all the sappiness. It’s just… I feel like I’m responsible for your stress and feel the need to fix it. So I’m just letting you know what I think and stuff.”

Chat Noir remains silent but smiles at her, a soft smile that makes her feel better and says something like “it’s okay, it’s fine, it’s alright, don’t worry about it”. They both look away from each other, staring at the black sky while finishing the rest of their bread.

 

* * *

 

She has been avoiding Adrien all week. Every greeting, every smile, every passing glance—she finds herself ignoring them all, running away from them when the chance presents itself.

Why exactly? She doesn’t know herself, but she just feels so awkward when he’s around now that she knows the mystery behind his heartbeat. She should be happy to know that their heartbeats are of each other’s names, but now every stressful question penetrates her mind, and it feels like getting injections in her head that are miles deep beyond the skin.

The questions that bother her the most are does Adrien know and if he does, what does he think about the whole ordeal?

Knowing Adrien, he must be sharp enough to have known a long time ago, probably even before they met. What exactly he thinks is beyond her. He is nice to her and seems to like her as at least a friend, but that much is all she really knows. Everything else is still a mystery and it bothers her to no end.

Alya has been bothering her about it all this week. “Why do you keep ignoring him?” she constantly asks her, giving her a frustrated glare all the while. “You should be ecstatic yet you’re ignoring the poor boy!”

And Marinette never responds because she can’t describe the dark feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, or the headache-inducing thoughts that invade her mind, or the—

“Marinette,” an all too-familiar voice calls out all of a sudden.

Marinette doesn’t even need to look around to know who it is, and she is already sprinting away, opposite the direction of the voice. Before she can get any further, though, a gentle hand grips her wrist, strong like steel, stopping her completely in her tracks. She still doesn’t dare look around, her heartbeat racing and threatening to jump out of her throat if she doesn’t calm down in the next few seconds.

“Marinette,” he reiterates in an exasperated voice, followed by short heaves of heavy breathing. “You run fast for someone so tiny.”

She doesn’t respond, still not bothering to turn around to look at him. She hears him sigh, a deep and prolonged one; and she wants to look around now, to see what emotion he has on his face, to see her crush and to tell him what she’s figured out what their heartbeats are saying, but she’s frozen in place, and her heart has already left her body and she feels like she’s slowly dying.

“I just wanted to talk. Why have you been avoiding me all this week? I want to know what I did wrong to make you want to not talk to me…”

She purses her lips. _Talk to him, you idiot_ , her conscience yells at her, frustrated, but she can’t find the breath to give him.

“Marinette, _please_ ,” he says in such a desperate voice, it feels like he’s begging on his knees; and he might as well have been. “ _Please_ talk to me.”

“I’m sorry,” she breathes out slowly, quietly, finally finding her voice again. She turns around to look at saddened greens, a thin pout on his face. He almost looks like a small child who had just gotten separated from his mother, about to cry because he doesn’t know where she is and doesn’t know what to do. “I’m sorry,” she repeats slowly, unsure of what else to say.

She expects him to say that it’s fine, because it’s Adrien and he’s too kind to say anything else, but he doesn’t. “I don’t like you ignoring me,” he says, and she knows it’s the whole truth and nothing but it from the way his eyes glisten, locking on hers with so much emotion, she can feel it. “I _hate_ it when you ignore me, especially when I don’t know why.”

“I don’t know why either,” she admits, feel ashamed that she had been causing so much turmoil between not only herself but her crush too. It wasn’t fair for either of them. “I’m really sorry, Adrien. I don’t know what came over me. I promise I wasn’t ignoring you because of you, though. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” he says softly, reassuringly. He puts a hand on her shoulder and suddenly pulls her into a tight hug, so tight that she forgets what breathing feels like. “Don’t worry me like that again, Marinette. I was seriously wracking my brain over what I had done wrong. I would never want to make you hate me.”

She hears her name in his heartbeat and finds her own heart racing to catch up to his. She wonders if Adrien can hear her pounding heart.

“I would never….” She pushes against him, breaking apart from the hug, and stares into his eyes, blues clashing against greens. “It’s seriously my fault. I won’t ignore you again like this. I promise.”

He smiles, a hint of relief in his lips. “Okay, I’ll hold you on to that.”

Suddenly, Marinette becomes conscious of the fact that she’s talking properly with her crush and finds herself stuttering out again. “O-okay…”

He continues to smile. “Alright, I’ll see you in class, Marinette. Good luck on the physics test.” And off he goes, disappearing almost immediately.

_He’s so… perfect_ , she thinks dreamily, sighing. Her heart has finally calmed since he left, and for the first time in a long time, she starts humming her heartbeat, feeling at peace. Yet, the feeling of emptiness still lingers.

 

* * *

 

It feels almost too surreal, but today is her and Chat Noir’s one year anniversary. The only reason she knows is because of her partner’s “urgent” phone call this morning. He tells her to meet him by the Eiffel Tower tonight and to be prepared for a surprise.

The whole day, Marinette doesn’t really wonder much about the supposed “surprise”. She goes about her day as normal, relaxing and doing homework on a beautiful Saturday morning.

At night, she goes to the location of their meeting and finds Chat Noir already there, grinning up at her. His arms are behind his back.

“I’m glad you didn’t stand me up, my Lady.”

She scoffs. “I wouldn’t do that to you, kitty cat.” She sits down next to him and peeks behind his back mischievously. Chat Noir laughs and tightens his hold on the “surprise,” offering her a goofy smile.

“You ready for your surprise?”

“Sure,” she says, unsure what to expect.

He presents his closed palms to Ladybug and opens it slowly, revealing a small velvet box. “Take it,” he says quietly, outstretching his arms a bit closer to her.

She does as she is told and cradles the tiny box in the palm of her hands. She opens it and finds a small ring, thick and silver, inside. It’s simple with a curly, fancy ladybug etching engraved in the middle of it. “Chat…”

“I know, I know. A ring is too intimate. But…” He puts her hands on her shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes, intense and passionate. “I… I still love you, okay? I’ll always be in love with you. But I didn’t decide to give you a ring out of my feelings alone. I picked it out of respect for you, Ladybug. You can think of it as a sort of promise ring. As long as we have it, I promise to always be by your side, always there to protect you. Okay?”

“ _We_?”

He grins. “Yeah, I have one too. See?” He extends his hand, showing off the same silver ring except in the middle is an engraving of a cat’s paw instead. “This means you have to promise to always be by my side, too.”

She realizes her heart has been beating like mad the entire time. “Chat… Thank you so much… I’m speechless.” As an afterthought, she adds, “I feel bad. I didn’t get you anything.”

“Well, you could do me a little favor…” He smiles suggestively. Ladybug sighs.

“Chat, I will _not_ tell you my secret ide _—_ ”

“You can give me a hug!” he interrupts, smiling sheepishly. “I mean, that’s all I really wanted tonight. I wouldn’t ask for anything else from you. I wouldn’t do anything that would make you uncomfortable, my Lady.”

“Well, okay. A hug is fine. C’mere, kitty cat,” she says softly.

He gently pulls her in into his chest, hugging her tightly but comfortably. She fits perfectly in his chest, and she can even hear his heartbeat.

Except, she notices that it isn’t beating in perfect succession.

It’s beating fast.

And it’s beating in an odd rhythm.

Long, long, pause, short, long, pause, short, long, short, pause, short, short, pause, long, short, pause, short, pause, long, pause, long, pause, short.

She recognizes it all too well.

It’s her name. All over again.

_This isn’t possible..._

 

* * *

 

_Oh no, it can’t be._

Marinette is hyperventilating, pacing around her room in circles. Her head hurts from thinking so much, her thoughts a jumbled mess, but she continues to think about everything nonetheless.

Basically, she has organized her thoughts like this: Chat Noir’s heartbeat is irregular like hers. It also, by some odd chance, has a particular beat that just so-happens to be her name. According to Alya’s theory, her arrhythmia has a deeper meaning behind it, most likely being the name of her soulmate. So her soulmate is Adrien, and Adrien’s soulmate is hers, but Chat Noir’s soulmate is also her.

And the more she thinks about it, the more she ponders about the possibility of Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste being the same person, because if by some weird chance Alya’s soulmate theory is correct, she can’t have a soulmate and be someone else’s soulmate at the same time. Even fate isn’t that cruel.

The more she thinks about it, the more it starts making sense. From the physical features alone, the two boys have a striking resemblance, if only Chat Noir’s hair was a tiny bit tidier like Adrien’s perfect side-swept bangs. They have the same build, the same goofy grin, the same green eyes.

Then, their personalities. At first glance, it seems like they’re night and day. Chat Noir’s ego clashes with Adrien’s kindness. But in the same vein, Chat Noir is definitely very kind and Adrien has shown an egotistical side of him before. What really sets off the similarities by a large margin are their constant lame puns and that all too-smug smirk. It’s almost surreal how she had never put two and two together before.

She picks up the ring Chat Noir had given her and examines it carefully, rubbing her thumb against the bumpiness of the ladybug engraving. She puts it under her lamp and studies it some more, tilting it this way and that. She notices at a certain angle, she can see a faint marking inside the ladybug engraving.

Taking a closer look, Marinette gasps aloud and drops the ring in shock. Inside the ladybug is a letter _—_ specifically, _the first letter of her name._

 

* * *

 

Does Chat Noir already know who she really is?

Does _Adrien_ already know who she really is?

The thought invades her mind, different thoughts branching out like a spider’s web, each new thought a strand of silk.

If Chat Noir is Adrien, then Adrien knows who she is.

If Chat Noir is Adrien, that means Adrien has a crush on Ladybug.

If Adrien has a crush on Ladybug, knowing she’s Marinette, then he has a crush on Marinette.

If Chat Noir is Adrien, then her soulmate really must be Adrien-slash-Chat Noir.

With all these thoughts, she feels the need to sit down to register everything. Lately, everything has been getting hard to process. Everything happening around her has just been weird, though she supposes as someone who has an irregular heartbeat from birth that her entire life has been one strange ride so far.

After successfully organizing her thoughts, Marinette decides that tomorrow, she will confront Adrien about this and finally get some answers.

 

* * *

 

Come next day, Marinette seeks out the blond boy like a heat-seeking missile, honing in on him when she sees him talking to Nino just outside the school entrance.

Now knowing that Adrien is just Chat Noir, she feels at ease despite her racing heart. She walks up to the two boys, taking in a deep breath. “Can I talk to you, Adrien? Alone?”

Taken aback, Adrien just stares at the usually stuttering girl, not sure what to say himself. Nino bids farewell, leaving the two all alone. “Um, sure?” comes Adrien’s hesitant reply. “What’s up, Marinette? Need help on homework?”

“No, no, it’s not that. I…” Not having rehearsed a premeditated conversation, Marinette is at a total lost for words. She isn’t exactly sure how to go about revealing each other’s secrets and finds herself just standing there, dumbfounded and now in panic mode. “I, uh, um…”

The blond raises an eyebrow. “What is it, Marinette?”

“Can we talk? Somewhere private?”

Without any hesitation or confusion, Adrien nods in agreement and offers to go to the back of the school. Marinette follows him, sitting by him under a tree. The shadow barely covers the two as if the area is specially reserved for them.

Marinette thinks long and hard about what to say next. The subject is delicate and she doesn’t want to mess it up with awkward phrasing. She breathes in slowly, mindful of her racing heart, and imagines that she is Ladybug and he is just Chat Noir. “Adrien,” she begins, taking in another deep breath. “Can I listen to your heartbeat?”

The boy doesn’t respond for a while, only looking at her with a small smile. “So you finally figured it out?” he finally says, laughing when he sees her nod in agreement. “I was going to give you another year before telling you myself.” His voice is almost inaudible against the chilly breeze. “I didn’t really want to say anything until you were comfortable about it.”

“Yeah. I figured you already knew… How long have you known?”

The breeze pushes her dark locks in front of her face, but with a tentative hand, Adrien brushes the stray strands away, tucking them behind her ear affectionately. Marinette can’t help the brush crawling on her cheeks, much less the smile threatening to emerge if she isn’t careful.

“I think… I’ve always known, I guess? You’ve always been here.” He points to his chest, chuckling softly. “It was just a matter of finding you. But I knew, from the moment I saw you as Ladybug, and from the moment I saw you as Marinette, and my heart was pounding against my chest like no tomorrow… I knew it just had to be you, subconsciously. It took a while for me to actually figure it out, but like I’ve said countless times before, I would recognize you anywhere, my Lady... my princess.”

“So… what do you think? About Ladybug being _me_?” She shifts her gaze away, only to return to gazing at his eyes when Adrien gently grabs her chin, letting go when they’re face-to-face with each other again. She looks into his green eyes, so genuine and full of so many emotions in the heat of the moment; and she thinks her eyes must be sparkling the same way his does.

“I think you’re perfect, suit or not.” He grabs her hand in his, kissing it softly, gently. “I… was actually really glad to know that Ladybug was Marinette, and that Marinette was Ladybug. That saved me the trouble of drama, because I was in love with the both of you.” He lets out a hearty laugh, in tandem with the gentle breeze surrounding them. “Fate is really strange, huh?”

In a flash, Adrien starts crying. His cries are light and bouncing, his lips quivering into a smile. Marinette looks worriedly at him, but he only responds by grabbing her around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. “I’ve just been… so _empty_ my entire life. So incomplete. But around you, I feel like… like I have the motivation to do anything. I feel like you’re my missing half, and I’ve finally found you after all this time of searching endlessly. Being with you is worth all the pain I’ve gone through in my life, Marinette.”

Suddenly, the school bell starts ringing, and Marinette finds herself pushing against Adrien’s chest, trying to free herself from his iron grip but to no avail. “Adrien, we’re going to be late,” she says worriedly.

Adrien only responds by nuzzling his face into her hair. “Marinette, I’ve been waiting for this my entire life. Just let us stay like this for a while longer.”

She rolls her eyes at his childishness, but otherwise snuggles into him, feeling calm in his grasp despite her racing heart. “Fine, you dork. Just five more minutes.”

“I’m in love with you,” he breathes out against her neck, hot and humid. He says it so quietly that it almost feels like he hadn’t meant for her to hear what he said, but she hears it, loud and clear enough.

She tenses, thinking back to the way she broke Chat Noir’s heart so long ago—the way she broke _Adrien’s_ heart. But it’s okay now, because she knows she loves them both, loves both Chat Noir and Adrien, wholly and truly, and no matter what their heartbeats mean, if they mean anything at all, she knows that her feelings will never change.

“I… love you too,” she says softly against his chest, muffled but dripping with her deep emotions. “ _I’m in love with you too._ But—”

“But what?” If Adrien was wearing his suit right now, his cat ears would be downturned.

“ _But_ I don’t want us to be a thing yet right now. I still need time to process everything, and I bet you do too. And I don’t want us to think we only like each other just because our heartbeats say each other’s names. I don’t want us to like each other just because you think it’s fate or something.” Pause. “Let’s take it slow, alright? I don’t want to rush into things. I want… I want to make sure we get this right on the first go.” _I love and care for you to much to delve straight into a boyfriend-girlfriend kind of relationship._

“Fair enough. I feel the same way anyway. I really want this to work out, Marinette.” Adrien smiles into her skin, pulling her even tighter to him, afraid to let go but at the same time knowing she’ll never leave. And she really never will. Soulmate or not, she enjoys being with Adrien… with Chat Noir… and being in his arms right now gives her a sense of security, a sense of being loved

The two press their chests against each other’s. Their different heartbeats clash against each other, a pair of racing hearts trying to reach the finish line first. But eventually they start catching up to each other, and then they’re suddenly synchronized. And when entwined together, they create a harmonious, singular rhythm that can compare to the songs of the angels up above _—_ beautiful and miraculous, the effervescent song of _love_.

 

* * *

 

“You know, they say that lovers share heartbeats.”

Marinette quirks an eyebrow at him. “How does that even work?”

“I’m not really sure, but somehow, it just seems to happen when two people are in love. Since our heartbeats will never be the same, what does that mean for us?”

She just shrugs. “I don’t know. Best not to think about it. I mean, we’re superheroes, there’s monsters running amuck, and you’re questioning _that_ of all things?” She crosses her arms over her chest, looking at him pointedly. “Plus, why are you in uniform anyway?”

Chat Noir laughs, loud and clear, grabbing her hand and kissing the top of it as he usually does. Instinctively, Marinette retracts her hand, making him pout in the process. “Because I feel much more free like this, princess.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “Whatever you say, kitty cat.”

Silence, and then: “Remember when you said you owe me one? When I told you I was going to tutor you?”

This time, she finds a laugh crawl out of her throat. “How could you possibly remember that? That was so long ago!”

“I have a good memory,” he says with a toothy grin. “Well, anyway, I thought of something that you can give me.”

“What can I _possibly_ give someone who can ask for anything and get it in a snap of a finger?” She’s rolling her eyes again as Adrien gives her another pout. “A hug? A kiss?” She blushes at that. They haven’t done anything more intimate than hugging yet. Kissing still feels like out of the question for her, but she wouldn’t exactly be opposed to it.

“Oh come now, Marinette. I wouldn’t do anything you don’t want to do, but either of those sounds good.” He grins. “No, I mean, I’d like for us to go on a date. I know you said you don’t want us to be a couple yet or anything, but I want to spend more time with you and really get to know you better so what better way than to go on a date?” She nods at that, completely understanding what he’s saying. “Though I feel like as either Adrien or my alter-ego, it would be hard to go out together without the news trailing us. So I figured we could come over to my house or yours and just talk over dinner? My dad won’t be home so it’ll be just us.” He blushes at that. “I mean, Natalie and some servants will be there too. Just that they won’t be eating with us. Or we could just go to your place. I really like your food.”

“No worries. I got you,” she says, giggling softly. “That sounds like a nice idea, though. My parents would probably be all over you if you came over and embarrass me with a bunch of baby pictures.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” he pipes up as Marinette sticks her tongue out at him.

“Anyway, your house would probably be better. Just so my parents don’t show you my baby butt.”

Chat Noir laughs then hugs her—a quick and simple one—and says in the happiest tone she’s ever heard that it sounds like even his voice is grinning, “It’s a date then.”

 

* * *

 

“You know, Alya. I always feel like we talk about myself. We never get a chance to talk about what you want. I feel like I’m turning into Chloé,” she says quietly, sipping her juice box nonchalantly.

Her best friend looks at her as if she’s crazy. “Girl, I don’t mind. Your life is way more interesting than mine anyway. Unless you want me to retell you the tale of how my mom forced me to help her in the garden and a worm somehow got into my pants, then I’ll tell you all about it. But right now I _really_ want you to tell me what’s going on between you and Adrien. Spill _every_ single detail, and seriously don’t leave anything out.”

Marinette blinks, once, then twice, then a third time. “Nothing really,” she says. In actuality, she thinks too much has happened between them. Secret identities, feelings, and their own heartbeats revealed in the short span of a gentle breeze. It’s still all too much to take in for her, but slowly and surely, she has started to get used to the fact that Adrien and Chat Noir are one and the same, that he loves her back as much as she does (possibly even more than she does if that’s even possible), and that their heartbeats beat each other’s names. All her life, she has wondered why exactly her heart beats like this, and she still doesn’t have an answer all this time, but she does know her feelings are wholly genuine.

“Oh, c’mon,” Alya whines, tugging at her friend’s arm incessantly. “You talk so normally to him at school now! Something must have happened between you two!” She winks. “Did he confess to you?”

“I guess he did,” Marinette says casually, as if it’s no big deal. Alya is squealing at the top of her lungs, grabbing the dark-haired girl’s shoulders and shaking her like crazy.

“No way!” She begs, “Tell me more, _please_! You’re being way too calm about this! It’s making me so suspicious!”

“Well, I told him I liked him back, but then I said I didn’t want to get into a relationship just yet. But we’re having a date in a couple days so we’ll see how that goes.”

“What, why? You guys are _soulmates_. Soulmates! It’s just wrong to not want to be together immediately! It’s wrong to not want to kiss each other like, every day!”

“Well, we still don’t know what exactly our heartbeats mean, you know… And even if we are soulmates, I don’t want to like him just because of that. I want to actually like him for what and who he is, you know?”

Alya doesn’t reply immediately. She looks stunned, frozen in place, unsure of what to say but at the same time wants to tell her friend everything that’s going on in her head. Finally, she says something after just a few more minutes of stunned silence: “I understand.”

Marinette looks equally surprised. “You do?”

“Yeah,” she says, surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. “You take your sweet time with him, girl. It’ll be all worth it in the end. You guys will fall deeper into love and it’ll all be perfect.” She sighs dreamily.

Marinette doesn’t know what comes over her, but emotions spill and she’s hugging her best friend, tightly, not wanting to let go. “Thank you,” she whispers. “I think that’s what I really needed to hear right now.”

“No problem,” Alya says as she pets her best friend’s head gently, as if she was a newborn puppy. “Anyway, I gotta go soon. I’ll be updating my Ladyblog tonight. Did you know I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir hugging the other day? They must be a thing now! Just think: partners for justice, partners in love!”

Marinette just laughs. “I doubt it. You’re crazy, Alya.”

 

* * *

 

Upon entering the Agreste household, Marinette is completely awed at the clean and fancy interior and decorum. Everything is like shiny marble. Everything, inside and out, is absolutely stunning. Absolutely marvelous.

Adrien looks sheepish next to her, smiling humbly. “Um, make yourself at home? Dinner isn’t ready for another hour so we have time to kill. Do you want to do anything in particular?”

“How about a tour of this place?” she suggests.

The blonde nods. “Alright, if you really want. Come with me.”

He starts leading the way and Marinette follows suit, trailing right behind him. He makes a motion to her that seems to signal that he wants her next to him, slowing his steps for her to catch up; and she finds herself giggling at him for his childishness, but nonetheless starts walking next to him, their steps in synch.

Adrien points out all the rooms, from the dining hall to his father’s office to even all the different bathrooms located basically in every other room. They stop at his room, where he describes everything he has in it: a skating ramp, a basketball hoop, a foosball table, etcetera ectetera. Then, after what seems like a while of purposeful stalling, Adrien finally lets her take a peek inside his room, which is filled with all sorts of stuff used for entertainment, though she can tell he never uses them from their still-new conditions. On his four monitors, she sees he is on the Ladyblog; and he starts blushing profusely at that, trying to cover it up by clicking back to his desktop. Unfortunately, that only proved to make matters worse by revealing his Ladybug wallpaper.

Marinette quirks an eyebrow at him. “Alright. I know you like Ladybug a lot, but I didn’t think you liked her that much.” Though, she finds herself blushing too for two reasons: 1) he likes her enough to have his wallpaper set as her (alter-ego, but nonetheless her) and 2) her room is even more embarrassing from all her Adrien pictures scattered about.

“I like Marinette a lot too,” he says, obviously trying to hide his blush with his hands. “This wallpaper is really old anyway. I was hoping I could replace it with a picture of us.” He says this with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a glint in his eyes.

Marinette rolls his eyes at him but still finds herself smiling in amusement. “Fine, since we’re half-gussied up anyway. We can take a quick one.”

“Awesome.” And with that, the blond takes out his phone and gets closer to Marinette, giving her an unsure look. “Um, I can put my arm around you, right?”

“Of course. You don't have to ask to touch me every single time,” she says in a matter of fact manner.

Adrien grins and snakes his arm around her shoulders, positioning his camera in front of them. Then, with a flash, he takes a picture.

“Ugh, I blinked,” he whines, blanching at the photo.

Marinette is giggling into the palms of her hands. “I think it's cute. You should keep it.”

“Well,” he says, “if it makes you happy, I guess it's okay. Anyway, dinner should be ready right about now. Shall we go, my Lady?”

He extends his arm out to her and without hesitation she links her own arm with his, walking down to the dining hall with him, their steps in-synch. Adrien pulls out a chair just for her and she gladly takes a seat, her stomach now rumbling.

Dinner is served on literally silver platters. Everything looks too good to eat, but being as hungry as she is, Marinette ends up immediately munching on everything on her plate, even peas which she really hates.

Adrien doesn't seem to have much of an appetite as he only takes a couple of spoonfuls before setting his plate aside. After Marinette finishes her plate, the two start to engage in casual conversation, talking about anything that comes to mind. Then, a comfortable silence falls between them after a while, but Marinette doesn't mind it. She enjoys the silence because it gives her more time to process everything that's been said. Adrien leads a very busy life, especially with having a double life too, but he seems to have a lot of interesting hobbies. She feels as if she pales in comparison, but she thinks, it isn't a competition between them; and Adrien seems interested in her life anyway from the way he silently nods and listens to her speak.

Soon, it approaches dusk. Marinette tells him she has to leave soon, and Adrien, saddened, asks for the usual goodbye hug. Naturally, she complies, and they hug and she hears his heartbeat briskly pacing like hers as it always does. And that will never change.

 

* * *

 

“Have you guys kissed yet?”

Marinette spits out her drink, glaring at her best friend angrily. “Oh my gosh, Alya, don’t ask me those kinds of questions when I’m in the middle of drinking something.”

Alya just laughs, too amused at the dark-haired girl’s expression. “Just wondering, girl. I feel like you guys are so close already. Kissing each other is naturally the next step in any relationship!”

“You told me to take it slow!” she says, appalled. “Plus, we’re not even going out yet.”

“Then what are you guys supposed to be?” Alya questions, cocking her head to the side.

Marinette just shrugs. “I’m not really sure. I guess it kinda feels like we’re engaged to be a future couple? I don’t really know what to call it…”

“That’s silly, Marinette. But oh well. Just take your time, I guess. Don’t wait too long, though or he might leave you! Or worse, you guys will die before you become a couple!”

Marinette rolls her eyes. “Gee, thanks a lot Alya.” Then, she starts twiddling her thumbs, the prospect of kissing Adrien swimming through her mind. The image in her head is just a simple kiss between them, short pecks on each other’s lips, but it’s still enough to make her head spin and her face turn as red as a tomato. “I… I don’t think I’m ready to kiss him or anything… I’m scared…” she confesses, her voice sounding defeated.

“What are you so scared about? It’s just a kiss!”

“Have you kissed anyone yet, Alya?” she challenges quickly, glaring at her friend.

The ombre-haired girl sighs. “Yeah, plenty,” she says, her words dripping in sarcasm. “This isn’t about me, Marinette. This is about you, and I want to help you. You’re already this close to Adrien, your life-long crush. I don’t want you to lose your chance, not when you’ve gotten this far.” A pause, then, “Listen, you don’t have to kiss him yet, but he’s probably waiting for you to be okay with it. Adrien seems like the kind of guy that respects you a lot and would wait for you to make the first move. Besides, it really is just a kiss. What’s the worse that can happen? You guys will explode? Compare that to the positives that will happen, like you and Adrien being closer physically and him being happier than he already is. Kissing him doesn’t have any repercussions. It’s just a nice gesture to physically show you love him.”

The dark-haired girl scratches her head. “I guess you’re right. I’ll just wait a bit longer. I don’t know why, but I’m just not comfortable about it right now.”

Alya smiles gently. “That’s okay. Like I said, take your time but also be mindful of his feelings. Anyway, let’s clean up the juice on the ground.”

Marinette looks at the dark orange stain on her carpet and starts to yell out, freaking out all of a sudden. Mom is so gonna kill me…

 

 

* * *

 

Another year passes without incident. Marinette and Adrien constantly went on dates and finally had started officially going out on the first day of December. It was Marinette who had asked him (unromantically and suddenly, though it still made Adrien emotional and cry his heart out for a solid ten minutes straight before accepting her confession), for Adrien was always hesitant about her boundaries and never seemed to take the initiative because of it. It doesn't bother Marinette at all since she likes being able to go at her own slow pace, though she is always mindful of Adrien’s feelings too.

The depth of their intimacy was still only hugging, but Marinette had a feeling in her gut that screamed at her, telling her to kiss him already.

Beforehand, she decides to prepare herself by reading up on all the kissing tips she can find on the Internet. She even consults Alya for advice despite the other girl never having kissed anyone else either.

“You can do this! You can do this!” Alya had reassured her countless of times. “Just grab his face and put your lips on his! Simple!”

After much intensive research, she decides a simple peck will suffice for now. The only other ingredient left is to set the mood and find one Adrien Agreste.

After school, she finds said boy waiting for her outside on the school steps. She scurries up to him, feeling really tense.

“Adrien…”

“You look lovely today,” he compliments softly, gently, pushing a lock of stray hair behind her ear. The gentle touch is enough to send an electric shock down her spine. “Is there something you wanted?”

“Let's kiss,” she says straightforwardly.

Adrien looks as if he is about to explode. Panic and excitement are evident in his enlarged eyes. “Wait, right here, right now? Shouldn’t we go somewhere private?”

“Just a quick one,” Marinette assures him, but he still looks like he's still about to implode on himself any minute now. “A really, really quick one.”

“Okay, okay,” he says, mostly to himself to calm himself down. “Okay. Let’s go to the back of the school. I feel queasy knowing other people might be watching.”

With that, the two go to their usual spots under the tree, the spot where their secrets were exposed and everything was revealed.

Adrien is shuffling around on the grass, twiddling his thumbs and darting his eyes anywhere but in Marinette’s direction. “Okay, okay,” he says again, trying to calm down. “I think I’m ready for this.”

“Alright, close your eyes.” He does as he is told and hesitantly, tentatively, Marinette stands on her toes and leans her face towards her boyfriend's. She brushes her lips against his and suddenly feels a tingling sensation that causes her to lean more into his lips, their teeth knocking against each other now. She can feel Adrien smile, can feel the rate of his slow breathing, can feel everything Adrien. The electric current continues to surge through her as their lips continue to connect.

She extends a hand to his chest for support, the palm of her hand feeling the quick beats of his heart. The rhythm grows faster and faster in a heated accelerando, and she can feel her own jumping around in her rib cage, wanting to be set free.

And then, all of a sudden, she feels a pain in her chest. A prolonged sharp pain that stabs at her heart like a million stings all at once, like a trillion stabs all at once, and suddenly she finds it hard to breathe. She retracts from his lips and opens her eyes, looking at the way Adrien is clutching his own chest, his expression looking very pained and confused.

Marinette wants to say something but her words get stuck in her throat. Her breathing has slowed to nothing, her heartbeat getting faster and faster and faster until…

...it just…

_...stops._

**Author's Note:**

> My plan for this is three chapters: this one in Marinette's POV, the next one in Adrien's POV, and the last one in a surprise person's POV.
> 
> This took forever to write, so the next chapters will probably take forever and a half to write too. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!


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